Although your tax return is not due for a few months yet, the end of the financial year is near.

Get ahead now by preparing all the documents required for your 2021 tax return so you can get your tax done quickly and get any refund due to you in your bank!

Income

The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) automatically receives information from your employers about the salary and wages that you have been paid for the financial year. You need to declare all income from other sources on your tax return as well.

• Wages, salaries, allowances, or bonuses from all employers.
• Pensions, annuities, or government payments such as Jobseeker or JobKeeper.
• Investment income including interest earned and dividends paid.
• Business income if you have a business as well as a job.
• Foreign income.
• Crowdfunding income.
• Sharing economy income such as Uber or Airbnb.
• Income such as hobbies, prize money, compensation or insurance payments may be tax-free but check with us.

Even if you have only earned a small amount from one of these sources, it still needs to be declared on the tax return. Gather all your records for anything you have earned apart from salary and wage payments from employers.

You will need:

• Bank statements that show interest income.
• Proof of earnings from other sources such as crowdfunding or sharing economy platforms.
• Records of business or hobby income.
• Records of government payments received.
• Records of any other payments received from overseas sources, prize winnings, insurance, or investments.

Tax Deductions

Have you captured all your work-related deductible expenses to make the most of your 2021 tax return?

Employees are entitled to claim work-related expenses as a tax deduction. To claim a deduction, you must have spent the money out of your own funds and not been reimbursed by your employer. The expenses must relate to your earnings as an employee. Make sure you have invoices and receipts as proof of payment for any work-related expenses.

Expenses you may be able to claim.

• Vehicle and travel expenses – use a travel diary to record details of trips taken for your employment.
• Clothing, laundry, and dry-cleaning expenses – you can claim occupation-specific clothing, uniforms, and protective gear.
• Home office expenses – there are special rules this year for employees working from home because of COVID-19. You will need records of the hours you have worked from home to claim the ATO special rate.
• Self-education expenses – some education expenses that relate to your current employment are claimable.
• Tools and equipment – if you buy gear to help you in your job, this may be claimable. Small tools of the trade, protective items, professional references and laptops are some examples of equipment you may be able to claim.

Occupation and Industry-Specific Guidelines

The ATO recognises that some occupations and industries have specific requirements that employees need to pay for.

There are handy ATO fact sheets for many industries, including hairdressers, teachers, performing artists, hospitality workers, lawyers, medical professionals and more.

These guides are a great starting point if you are not sure what you can claim, but we can give you information tailored to your situation when you do your tax return with us.

Superannuation

If you have made personal superannuation contributions separate from your employer’s superannuation guarantee contributions, you may be able to claim this as a tax deduction. You will need to provide a notice of intent to claim form to your super fund and receive an acknowledgement from the fund before doing your tax return.

Achieve Business Solutions are the accountants Frankston business owners and individuals trust. Book a time with us now to prepare for your tax return and we will make sure you make the most of all applicable tax deductions this year.