Manager & CEO Tax Tips -- How to Claim Deductions and Maximise Your Refund

Written by Mark Walmsley CA -- Chartered Accountant and Registered Tax Agent (TPB 25498770)

Last updated 12 May 2026

Managers and CEOs can claim deductions for professional memberships, executive coaching, training, travel, home office costs, software subscriptions, and income protection insurance. GoTax is an ATO-registered online tax service that surfaces occupation-matched deductions automatically, reviews every return before lodgement, and helps managers and executives get the refund they are entitled to. Fixed pricing from $0. Done online in minutes.

What Managers and CEOs Can Claim on Their Tax Return

Managing people, running an organisation, or sitting on a board involves real costs -- leadership development, professional memberships, travel, and equipment that are all legitimately deductible. The ATO allows deductions for expenses you incur in earning your income, provided they are not reimbursed by your employer and are not private in nature.

The table below covers the main deductible categories for managers and CEOs -- from team leaders and department heads through to general managers, directors, and chief executives.

The key test for every deduction: the expense must be directly incurred in earning your income. You cannot claim costs for a career change, memberships that are personal rather than role-specific, or anything reimbursed by your employer. See the ATO's deductions guide for employees for the full ATO position.

Managers vs CEOs and Senior Executives -- What's Different?

Managers and chief executives share many of the same deductible categories, but the amounts involved and the specific professional bodies can differ significantly. The comparison below highlights the key distinctions.

Five Things Managers and CEOs Often Miss

1. AICD annual membership fees. The Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD) membership fee is one of the most commonly overlooked deductions for senior executives and board-level managers. The annual fee is fully deductible where your role involves company directorship or governance responsibilities. Keep your renewal invoice.

2. Executive coaching fees. Coaching or mentoring engagements directly aimed at improving your performance in your current leadership role are deductible. This covers executive coaching, leadership mentoring programs, and performance coaching -- but not general life coaching or career-change counselling. Keep your coaching invoices and confirm the engagement is role-related.

3. Equipment depreciation on items over $300. A second monitor, ergonomic chair, standing desk, or dedicated printer purchased for home or office use can be deducted -- but items over $300 must be depreciated over their effective life, not claimed in full in the year of purchase. GoTax handles the depreciation calculation automatically.

4. Income protection insurance premiums. Managers and executives at higher income levels have the most to lose from an inability to work -- and the most to gain from claiming this deduction. Income protection premiums are fully deductible where the policy replaces income rather than paying a lump sum. Premiums are often several thousand dollars per year, making this one of the highest-value missed deductions.

5. Business publications and leadership subscriptions. Subscriptions to the Australian Financial Review, Harvard Business Review, IBIS World industry reports, or other publications directly relevant to your management role are deductible for the work-related portion. A general newspaper subscription is not deductible. If your subscription is partly work and partly personal, only the work proportion can be claimed.

What to Have Ready Before You Start

Gathering the right documents before you begin your return makes the process faster and ensures nothing is missed. Use this checklist:

Frequently Asked Questions

How much tax does a manager or CEO typically get back?

Managers and executives are typically in higher tax brackets, so deductions translate to more dollars. A senior manager or CEO with professional memberships, executive coaching, equipment, home office costs, and income protection insurance could reasonably claim $3,000 to $6,000 or more in deductions -- translating to a refund of $1,000 to $2,200 or higher depending on their marginal tax rate. Executives who have never properly claimed income protection premiums or AICD fees often find the difference is significant. Use the free GoTax Tax Calculator for an instant personalised estimate.

Can managers and CEOs claim the AICD membership fee?

Yes. Annual membership fees for the Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD) are deductible where your role involves board-level responsibilities, company directorship, or governance functions. The same principle applies to the Australian Institute of Management (AIM), FINSIA, and other professional leadership bodies -- the membership must be directly related to your current role, not a future aspiration. Keep your renewal invoice as the supporting record.

Can managers and CEOs claim executive coaching?

Yes. Executive coaching, leadership mentoring, and performance coaching fees are deductible where the coaching directly improves your performance in your current role. The ATO's test is whether the expense maintains or improves skills used in your existing position -- not whether it helps you advance to a new one. A general life coaching or career-change programme would not qualify. Keep your coaching invoices and confirm the engagement relates to your current leadership role.

Can managers and CEOs claim training and leadership development costs?

Yes. Courses, seminars, conferences, and workshops that maintain or improve skills used in your current management role are deductible. This includes leadership development programmes, management training, team leadership courses, and executive education programmes. A qualification for a new career or a substantially different role is not deductible. Conference travel and accommodation can also be claimed for the work-related portion of the trip.

Can managers and CEOs claim home office expenses?

Yes. The ATO's fixed rate method allows you to claim 70 cents per hour worked from home, covering electricity, gas, internet, and phone running costs. You need a representative four-week diary of your WFH hours -- not a full-year log. Alternatively, the actual cost method lets you claim the work-related proportion of each actual expense, which is often more advantageous for executives who maintain a dedicated home office with significant running costs. Equipment and furniture purchased for the home office are claimed separately via depreciation.

Can managers claim income protection insurance?

Yes. Income protection insurance premiums are fully deductible where the policy replaces income rather than paying a lump sum. For managers and executives at higher income levels, this is often one of the largest single deductions available -- premiums of $2,000 to $5,000 per year are common. Keep your annual premium notice or renewal statement as the supporting record.

What records do managers and CEOs need to keep?

The ATO requires records to be kept for five years from the date you lodge your return. For professional memberships, keep renewal invoices. For coaching and training, keep receipts and invoices with dates and amounts. For home office, keep a representative four-week WFH diary or actual cost receipts. For phone, keep a four-week usage log. For travel, keep airfare, accommodation, and taxi receipts plus a record of the business purpose of each trip. For equipment over $300, keep the purchase receipt with date and price. GoTax flags any record-keeping gaps during the return process.

Is GoTax suitable for managers and CEOs?

Yes. GoTax handles returns for managers and executives across all levels -- from a team leader with a straightforward PAYG return to a CEO or executive director with investment income, salary packaging, director fees, and complex deductions. GoTax is registered with the Tax Practitioners Board (TPB Registration 25498770) and every return is reviewed by a Chartered Accountant before it goes to the ATO. Quick Tax Return $25 -- Full Individual Return $65. All prices fixed, no hidden fees.

Not sure what your refund might be? Use the free GoTax Tax Calculator for an instant estimate before you start.

Mark Walmsley CA is a Chartered Accountant and Registered Tax Agent with 40 years of Australian tax practice experience. He holds a Bachelor of Business (Accountancy) and a Graduate Diploma of Taxation, and is a member of Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand. Mark is the principal of GoTax and the Registered Tax Agent responsible for all GoTax-lodged returns (TPB Registration 25498770). Every tax return submitted through GoTax is finalised under his registration -- no outsourcing, no offshore processing.

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