Tax Tips for Defence Workers

Boost your Tax Refund with these tax deductions!

Uniforms & Laundry
You can claim the cost of purchasing, washing and mending your ADF Uniforms as your uniforms are specific to your occupation, this includes service dress shoes. 

You can also claim the cost of dry cleaning your uniforms, make sure you keep your receipts. 

You cannot claim items like underwear, ordinary shoes, t-shirts or hair accessories and sports clothes (even if it has your unit’s logo or emblem and you’re required to wear it). 

Protective Clothing

You can claim sun protection when you are outside for long periods of time.
 

Motor Vehicle Expenses
You can claim work-related travel e.g. travel from your regular Army base to a separate Military base.

You can also claim car expenses for travelling from one job directly to a second job. 

Home to work travel is not tax deductible. 

Keep a diary tracking your kilometres. If you think you will go over 5,000kms keep a 12-week consecutive logbook and receipts for any car expenses e.g. Rego & Insurance, Repairs, Fuel etc. 

Other Work-Related Expenses
You may also be able to claim the following expenses:

• Tax Agent Fees

• Union Fees

• Special Licences to perform your duties

• Compulsory Mess subscriptions

• Mobile Phone and/or Internet (Keep a one-month logbook tracking your work calls and work use) 

• Course/Training expenses + travel 

Need logbooks? All of our logbooks come with instructions and the calculations required to work out your work use percentage! You can find these inside your tax return.