How to claim working from home
expenses
Taxpayers who have been working from home this financial year, and who
consequently incurred work-related expenses, have two ways to calculate their
work from home deduction:
- the
actual cost method; or
- the
fixed rate method.
Using the fixed rate method, taxpayers can claim a rate of 67 cents per
hour worked at home.
This amount covers additional running expenses, including electricity
and gas, phone and internet usage, stationery, and computer consumables. A deduction for these costs cannot be claimed
elsewhere in their tax return, although taxpayers can separately claim any
depreciating assets, such as office furniture or technology.
Taxpayers need to have the right records, and the record-keeping
requirements differ for the fixed rate method and the actual cost method.
Editor: if you need more information regarding making these claims, please contact our office.
Reminder of March 2024 Quarter Superannuation
Guarantee ('SG')
Employers are reminded that employee super contributions for the 1
January 2024 to 31 March 2024 quarter must be received by the relevant super
funds by 28 April 2024 (which is a Sunday), in order to avoid being liable to
pay the SG charge.
Using the ATO's small business
benchmarks
The ATO has updated its small business benchmarks for 2021-22. These benchmarks help taxpayers compare their
business turnover and expenses with other small businesses in the same
industry.
Taxpayers can access the benchmarks on the ATO's website, and then
calculate their benchmark using the ATO app 'Business performance check'
tool.
For example, consider Deb who runs a pizza shop as a sole trader. She would like to track her business against
other pizza shop businesses, and see how she can improve.
Deb downloads the ATO app and opens the 'Business performance
check' tool. She uses this tool
to work out the cost of sales to turnover benchmark for her pizza
shop. It is within the higher end of the
range and above the average for pizza shop businesses.
Deb works out her main supply costs. She then negotiates a better deal to reduce her business expenses and improve profit.
Quarterly TBAR lodgment reminder
SMSFs must report certain events that affect any member's transfer
balance account ('TBA') quarterly using transfer balance account reporting
('TBAR'). These events must be reported
even if the member's total superannuation balance is less than $1 million.
SMSF trustees must report and lodge within 28 days after the end of the
quarter in which the event occurs, although they are not required to lodge if
no TBA event occurred during the quarter.
For example, if an SMSF had a TBA event in the quarter ending 31 March
2024, the trustee of the SMSF must lodge a TBAR by 28 April 2024.
If an SMSF does not lodge a TBAR by the required date, the member's TBA
may be adversely affected. The member
may need to commute any amounts in excess of their transfer balance cap and pay
more in excess transfer balance tax.
Editor: if you need assistance in relation to any of these issues, please contact our office.
Prepare for upcoming lodgments of SMSF annual
returns
SMSFs need to appoint an auditor no later than 45 days before they lodge
their SMSF annual return ('SAR').
In preparation for lodgment of the SAR, SMSF trustees also need to:
- complete
a market valuation of all the SMSF's assets;
- prepare
the SMSF's financial statements; and
- provide
signed copies of documents to their auditor, so the auditor can determine the
SMSF's financial position and its compliance with superannuation laws.
If an SMSF's SAR is more than two week's overdue, and the SMSF trustee
has not contacted the ATO, the ATO will change the status of the SMSF on Super
Fund Lookup to 'Regulation details removed', and this status will remain
until any overdue lodgments are brought up to date.
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Taxpayer who lived and worked overseas found to
be tax resident
The Administrative Appeals Tribunal ('AAT') recently held that a
taxpayer was a tax resident of Australia, even though he was mostly living and
working overseas during the relevant period.
The taxpayer was born in Vietnam and obtained Australian citizenship in
1978. He was living and working in
Dubai, United Arab Emirates from 2015 until 2020.
The taxpayer spent less than two months in Australia for each of the
2017 to 2020 income years visiting his family.
The AAT nevertheless held that he was a tax resident of Australia for each of the 2016 to 2020 income years, as he "maintained an intention to return to Australia and an attitude that Australia remained his home."
The AAT noted in this regard that the taxpayer:
- left his wife and three daughters in the
family home in Australia while he worked in Dubai, continued to fully support
his family financially, and chose to spend each of his leave periods with his
family in Australia;
- maintained his vehicle registrations and
Australian drivers licence so he could use the vehicles upon his return to
Australia;
- intended to retire in Australia;
- failed to demonstrate any connection with
Dubai outside of his employment; and
- maintained his private health insurance.
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Earning income for personal effort
Taxpayers should remember that, if over half their income is from a
contract for their personal effort or skills, then their income is classified
as personal services income ('PSI').
Taxpayers can receive PSI in almost any industry, trade or profession,
e.g., as a financial professional, IT consultant, construction worker or
medical practitioner.
Taxpayers who earn PSI while running a business (e.g., as a contractor)
need to work out if they were a personal services business ('PSB') in the year
that they received the PSI, as this will affect the deductions they can claim.
Taxpayers can self-assess as being a PSB if they:
- meet the 'results test' for
at least 75% of their PSI, or
- meet one of
the other PSB tests (i.e., the unrelated clients test, the employment test, or
the business premises test), and less than 80% of their PSI is from the
same entity and its associates.
Taxpayers who self-assess as a PSB still need to report their PSI in
their income tax return and keep certain records.
Please note: Many of the comments in this publication are general in
nature and anyone intending to apply the information to practical circumstances
should seek professional advice to independently verify their interpretation
and the information's applicability to their particular circumstances.