Not Sure if You're a Contractor or an Employee? Here's How to Tell (and Why It Matters) Published: May 2025 You’ve got a job, you’re making money—good start. But when tax time rolls around, the big question hits: Am I a contractor or an employee? Get this wrong, and you could end up owing the ATO more than you think—or missing out on legit deductions. Ge
How the Foreign Income Tax Offset Saves You from Double Tax Published: Dec 2023 Earning money overseas sounds great... until you realise two tax offices are lining up to take a slice. ???? Good news: Australia has something called the Foreign Income Tax Offset to stop you from getting double-taxed into oblivion. Let’s break it down: clear, simple, and sprinkled with some good ol
The Golden Rules on Income Tax Returns Let’s start with the Golden Rules for our first timers… Always remember the Golden Rules Golden Rule #1 If you have to spend money to do your job, then keep the receipt!!! Claiming tax deductions without receipts is limited to $300, unless you embark on a journey of desception, and the consequences of that can be costly. So KEE
My Tax - Gotax is better I'm a little perplexed as to why the government has called it's online service "My Tax", but then again if you read between the lines "My Tax" probably means "the Government's Tax", they've just put a bit of a spin on it to make it sound like the GOVERNMENT is acting in your best interest to help you meet your tax obligation
Tax Deductions and WTF Are They? Explained Simply Published: May 2025 If you’ve never done a tax return before, you might be thinking... "What the hell is a tax deduction?" Welcome to the world of adulting. But don’t worry — we’ll explain it like you're five (but with less finger painting). What Is a Tax Deduction? When you
Truck Drivers: The Complete 2025 Guide to Claiming Travel Expenses Let’s shift gears and hit the road to deductions! If you’re a truckie spending nights away from home, this guide is your GPS to claiming the right travel expenses. What Can You Claim? You can claim work travel expenses if: You’re away overnight for work You pay for your meals, acc
Claiming Parking and Tolls on Your Tax Return (2025) Parking fees and tolls can be a bit of a grey area when it comes to tax time. Plenty of people think they can claim every parking ticket and toll receipt, but the ATO has some clear rules. You can only claim these costs if they’re directly related to your work—not just your daily drive to the office. Let’s run through when y
Rental Property Repairs vs Improvements: What You Can and Can’t Claim Published July 2025 If you’re a landlord, chances are you’ve had to fix, patch, replace, or "just temporarily duct tape" something in your rental. But here’s the kicker: not all fixes are created equal in the eyes of the ATO. Claim the wrong thing, and you might miss out on legit deduct
Claiming Motor Vehicle Expenses: The 2025 All-In-One Guide Who Can Claim? You can claim if you use your own car for work (employee, sole trader, or business owner). If your boss provides the car, you generally can’t claim unless you pay for running costs and aren’t reimbursed. What Trips Count? You can claim: Trips between separate workplaces (e.g. office to client
Car expenses; Log Book method v Cents per kilometre method The Car Log Book Method The logbook method requires you to keep a record of your car expenses and the percentage of business use for your car. For example, if you drove 10,000 km in total and 6,000 km were for business purposes, your business use percentage would be 60%. You can then claim 60% of your actual car expenses, such as fue