75% off

for 3 months

Start fresh this new year with QuickBooks Online

Buy now

SALE

Buy now and
save 50% off today See plans & pricing

SALE

See plans & pricing

Start your business
Start your business
Run your business
Run your business
Grow your business
Grow your business
Accountants and Bookkeepers
Accountants and Bookkeepers
- Accountants and Bookkeepers
  Learn how accountants and bookkeepers can be productive in these articles & guides
- Learning and Development
  A range of informative content to enhance your QuickBooks experience.
Updates
Updates
- Product Updates
  Watch this space for monthly product updates.
- Intuit News
  Latest news, articles & guides

QuickBooks Blog

Need help choosing a plan?

1800 917 771 Schedule a call

Schedule call

Team of tradies, architects and engineers working together

taxes

Tax deductions for tradies

By Samuel Williamson

Published onJune 7, 20243 min read

Tax time / End of Financial Year (EOFY) is just around the corner, so it’s time to get your expenses in order. But with so many transactions involved in trade businesses, it’s easy to forget which ones you can claim in your return. Here are the top 10:

Eligibility

It is necessary that you have personally spent the money and did not receive any reimbursement for it.
It must directly relate to earning your income
It's essential to have proof of your transaction, which can be in the form of a receipt or any other record.

It's important to note that only the portion of an expense that is directly related to earning your income can be claimed as a deduction. Any part of the expense that doesn't have a direct connection to your income cannot be claimed.

Tax deductions for tradies:

Vehicle expenses
Work-related travel expenses
Tools, equipment and other assets
Occupation-specific and protective clothing
Laundry and dry cleaning
Training courses, licences and certifications
Union and association fees
Mobile and internet
Working from home related office equipment
Cost of managing tax

1. Vehicle expenses

Vehicle purchases and costs associated with operating your vehicle are claimable when you can prove they are for business purposes (and you don’t receive a car allowance).

Under the logbook method, you need to show odometer readings for a period of at least 12 continuous weeks. Mileage tracking allows you to claim the percentage of vehicle expenses apportioned to business use, including running costs and depreciation.

Under the cents per kilometre method, you can claim $0.85 per kilometre on up to 5000 kilometres of business travel. Either way, you need to track your mileage, which you can use reputable tax software that will provide you with mileage auto-tracking.

2. Work-related travel expenses

You can claim work-related travel expenses, such as meals, accommodation, flights or taxi fares if you travel away from home overnight and you can show receipts and have not been reimbursed or given a car allowance. If your vehicle is under a novated lease, your employer is eligible to claim vehicle expenses.

3. Tools, equipment and other assets

GST credits are offered for the cost of tools, equipment or assets purchased to operate your business.

For an item that costs up to $300, an immediate deduction can be claimed.
Where the cost exceeds $300, you can claim a deduction for the cost over several years, accounting for its decline in value.

Tools and equipment repairs

Expenses involved in repairing or insuring your tools and equipment can be claimed too, as well as any interest charged on money borrowed to purchase the items. If you use these items for both work and personal use, you’ll need to show a diary that specifies how it’s used, so the deduction can be apportioned correctly.

4. Occupation-specific and protective clothing

If you buy certain protective clothing or items for your work where your duties require you to spend prolonged periods working outdoors or steel-capped boots, you can claim them as a deduction. Such as: Hard hats Sunglasses Sunscreen Sunhats This also applies to occupation-specific clothing needed to distinguish you from the public, like a uniform.

Grow Your Business with QuickBooks

30-day free trial

Buy now and save

5. Laundry and dry cleaning

You can even claim GST credits on costs associated with cleaning your work clothes. If this expense exceeds $150 and other work-related expenses total more than $300, you need to provide receipts. Otherwise, a reasonable basis for calculating your laundry or dry cleaning deduction is $1 where the whole load is work clothes or $0.50 where it is partially work clothes.

6. Training courses, licences and certifications

Any training courses, licences or certifications you undertake to maintain or improve your skills, or that certify you to perform a task for work, are tax deductible. Courses that are not generally related to your work or new employment are not eligible.

7. Union and association fees

You can claim any union fees or subscriptions to trade, business or professional associations. Most unions provide members with a statement of fees or subscriptions paid, which you can use to prove your association in your return.

8. Mobile and internet

When you pay for work-related phone or internet expenses, include the cost in your return. If you plan to claim more than $50, you will need to determine the percentage related to work use over a four-week representative period, which can then be applied to the full income year. Records can be kept in the form of diary entries, electronic records, or bills.

9. Working from home related office equipment

If you run your business from home, or have recently updated your home office equipment, you would be able to claim the work-related portion of the costs associated with these when lodging your tax return at the end of the financial year.

10. Cost of managing tax

Costs related to lodging your tax return are deductible as well. This includes your accounting software, tax agent fees, any travel to tax advisors, appeals to court in relation to tax affairs or interest charged by the ATO. These costs are considered to be incurred in the year they are paid.

Every business is different, as is every tax return. But to maximise your deductions and save this financial year, it’s important you understand what you’re eligible for. If you’re still unsure, speak to an expert ProAdvisor.

Manage your taxes with QuickBooks accounting software for tradies, try it now with a free 30-day trial.

FAQs

What can tradies claim on tax without receipts?

What can tradies claim on tax?

Looking for something else?

Get QuickBooks

Smart features made for your business. We've got you covered.

See how it works

Help Me Choose

Use our product selector to find the best accounting plan for you.

Choose your product

QuickBooks Support

Get help with QuickBooks. Find articles, video tutorials, and more.

Start learning

A computer screen showing a picture of a computer.

TAKE A NO-COMMITMENT TEST DRIVE

Your free 30-day trial awaits

Our customers save an average of 9 hours per week with QuickBooks invoicing*

No credit card needed

Cancel anytime

Unlimited support

By entering your email, you are agree to our Terms and acknowledge our Privacy Statement.

- - QuickBooks reserves the right to change pricing, features, support and service at any time. Prices are in AUD and include GST. See our Terms of Service for further information.
  - Pricing: All prices are in AUD and include GST.
  - ProAdvisor Program: Please find the terms of our ProAdvisor program here.
  - 75% off for 3 months: For new subscribers, enjoy a 75% off price subscription on QuickBooks Online Simple Start, QuickBooks Online Essentials or QuickBooks Online Plus for the first 3 months of your subscription (Offer). The discount will applied from the date of your enrolment and will continue for 3 months. From month 4, you will be charged the then current monthly retail price for your subscription. See current prices here. QuickBooks Payroll and QuickBooks Time prices are not eligible for any discount and will be invoiced separately according to your usage on a monthly basis during your subscription. Intuit reserves the right to request information to verify the eligibility of a purchaser of the Offer. Acceptance of such verification information is at the reasonable discretion of Intuit, which may revoke the Offer and impose a monthly cost for the subscription at the then current retail prices, at any time if it considers the purchaser is ineligible for the Offer.
  - 50% off for 12 months: For new subscribers, enjoy a 50% discount off the current monthly retail price for QuickBooks Self-Employed, QuickBooks Online Simple Start, QuickBooks Online Essentials or QuickBooks Online Plus for the first 12 months of your subscription (Offer). The discount will applied from the date of your enrolment and will continue for 12 months. From month 13, you will be charged the then current monthly retail price for your subscription. See current prices here. QuickBooks Payroll and QuickBooks Time prices are not eligible for any discount and will be invoiced separately according to your usage on a monthly basis during your subscription. Intuit reserves the right to request information to verify the eligibility of a purchaser of the Offer. Acceptance of such verification information is at the reasonable discretion of Intuit, which may revoke the Offer and impose a monthly cost for the subscription at the then current retail prices, at any time if it considers the purchaser is ineligible for the Offer.
  - 75% off for 3 months (existing subscribers): For existing QuickBooks subscribers who upgrade to QuickBooks Online Essentials, Plus or Advanced, enjoy a 75% discount off the current monthly retail price for 3 months of your subscription (Offer). The discount will be applied from the date you upgrade in-product and will continue for 3 months. From month 4, you will be charged the then current monthly retail price for your subscription. See current prices here. QuickBooks Payroll and QuickBooks Time services and prices are not eligible for any discount and will be invoiced separately according to your usage on a monthly basis during your subscription. Intuit reserves the right to request information to verify the eligibility of a purchaser of the Offer. Acceptance of such verification information is at the reasonable discretion of Intuit, which may revoke the Offer and impose a monthly cost for the subscription at the then current retail prices, at any time if it considers the purchaser is ineligible for the Offer.
  - Free Trial: First thirty (30) days of subscription to QuickBooks Online, QuickBooks Self-Employed and QuickBooks Payroll (including QuickBooks Advanced Payroll), starting from the date of enrolment, is free. During the free trial, you may pay any number of employees using QuickBooks Payroll free of charge. To continue using QuickBooks after your 30-day trial, you'll be asked to present a valid credit card for authorisation and you'll be charged monthly at the then-current fee for the service(s) you've selected.
  - QuickBooks Payroll powered by Employment Hero: Payroll services are offered by a third party, Employment Hero. QuickBooks Payroll is only accessible via QuickBooks Online subscriptions. You will be charged $6.00 (incl. GST) per month for each ‘active employee’ paid using QuickBooks Payroll. An ‘active employee’ is one who has been paid at least once in the billing month. For Advanced Payroll, there is an additional monthly subscription fee of $10 (incl GST). Pricing, terms and conditions, including service options, are subject to change.
  * Employment Hero was voted the leading payroll solution for SMBs <50 employees (Australian Payroll Association 2021 Payroll Benchmarking Study)
  - Customer support: Call or chat to an expert for QuickBooks Online Accountant, QuickBooks Simple Start, Essential, Plus, and Advanced or use in-product QB Assistant and chat for QuickBooks Self-Employed. You'll also find useful resources in the QuickBooks Community.
  - Compatible Devices: QuickBooks Online, QuickBooks Self-Employed and QuickBooks Payroll require a computer with Internet Explorer 10, Firefox, Chrome, or Safari 6 and an Internet connection (a high-speed connection is recommended). The QuickBooks Online mobile app works with iPhone, iPad, and Android phones and tablets. QuickBooks Online and QuickBooks Payroll are accessible on mobile browsers on iOS, Android, and Blackberry mobile devices. Devices sold separately; data plan required. QuickBooks Payroll cannot be used on the mobile apps. Not all features are available on the mobile apps and mobile browser. QuickBooks Online mobile access is included with your QuickBooks Online subscription at no additional cost. Data access is subject to cellular/internet provider network availability and occasional downtime due to system and server maintenance and events beyond your control. Product registration required.
  - Get paid faster: Get paid 2.5x faster invoicing with PayPal
  * PayPal and QuickBooks customers get paid on average in less than 5 days, which is over 7 days faster than the average for invoices that get paid with other payment methods. Data is for paid invoices that were created in QuickBooks in Australia between 23.05.22 and 23.11.22
  - Tax deductions: Tax deductions not guaranteed due to being subject to user data entry errors. Mileage calculation provided by the Australia Taxation Office - 85 cents per kilometre for the 2023-2024 income year. To a maximum of 5,000 business kilometres per car (Deductions are only applicable to cars)
  - Customer Service Awards: Excellence in Customer Service Award at the CX Australia Awards 2022
  - Multiple file discount: Multiple file discount applies to QuickBooks Australia customers only and valid when signing up for more than one QuickBooks Online subscription in one order. Further terms and conditions available here. Not applicable to QuickBooks Self Employed.
  - Reviews: GetApp, Capterra, Google Play Store, Apple App Store reviews as at date 08/01/24.
  - Cost per day claim (annual): Based on a QuickBooks Simple Start plan at its regular retail price of $313 per year and a 365 day year.
  - Annual Billing: You may pay for your QuickBooks Online subscription on an annual, upfront basis to enjoy a discount on the current fees. If you use QuickBooks Payroll powered by Employment Hero, your payroll costs will still be charged monthly to your nominated payment method in accordance with your usage as set out here. If you cancel your QuickBooks Online subscription within the pre-paid 12 month period, you will not be eligible for a refund, but will retain full access to your QuickBooks Online subscription for the remainder of the 12-month period. Unless cancelled by you prior, your annual subscription will auto-renew on the 12 month anniversary of your sign-up date using the billing details you have given us. Discounts, prices, terms and conditions are subject to change.
  - Over 7 million customers: Based on number of global QB customers (ecosystem) (7.1m) worldwide as of October 2022.
  - Free Onboarding: Applicable to Buy Now subscriptions on QuickBooks Simple Start, Essentials and Plus plans. Not available for QuickBooks Self-Employed.
  - Save Hours: Save up to an average of 29 hours per month with QuickBooks.
  - * Based on a survey conducted by Intuit Australia Pty Ltd in September 2022. Time saving is in comparison to previous accounting method, based on 184 responses from customers that saw time savings.
  - Get access to QuickBooks Tax: ***Access QuickBooks Tax, powered by LodgeiT, by becoming a member of the QuickBooks ProAdvisor Program (it’s free to join). Find out more about the ProAdvisor Program here, including the terms of the QuickBooks Tax offer in the Program here.
  - QuickBooks Time Disclaimers & Offers for Australia: For Important pricing offers and disclaimers with further information, please see here.
  - *Full terms and conditions for access to QuickBooks Tax, powered by LodgeiT as part of the the Proadvisor Program can be found here. QuickBooks reserves the right to change pricing, features, support and service at any time.
  - **Intuit conducted a study involving 56 interviews with accountants and bookkeepers who used Books Review for BAS preparation between March to December 2021 and found that when using Books Review, participants reduced the time spent preparing their clients BAS Reports by around 40%.
  - Our Terms of Service apply to all QuickBooks Online subscriptions. Please review them carefully.

Intuit helps put more money in consumers’ and small businesses’ pockets, saving them time by eliminating work, and ensuring they have confidence in every financial decision they make.