I have a confession to make.
On the years when my accountant tells me I will be getting a tax return, I have the same grin as when I win a meat tray at my favourite bowls club.
Any win from the Australian Tax Office is a good win in my books.
That’s why every year, about this time, I remind people that obtaining qualifications to match your experience can give you a small win with the ATO.
Yes, you might be eligible for an EOFY Tax saving.
“You may be able to claim a deduction for a self-education expense if, at the time you incur the expense, it has a sufficient connection to earning income from your employment activities.”
The ATO’s words not ours.
That’s right, The Australian Tax Office offers a self-education deduction that you might be able to claim on your tax return if it links back to your employment activities. Like all things tax and the government, definitions and conditions always apply.
What are self-education expenses?
Self-education expenses are the costs you incur when you:
- undertake courses at an educational institution (whether or not the courses lead to a formal qualification)
- attend work-related conferences or seminars.
- do self-paced learning and study tours (whether within Australia or overseas).
Now we’re experts in Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) but we’re not experts in tax so I can’t give you the Randall Smith “Deduction Approved” stamp to scoot straight to the top of the ATO refund line.
If you decide to update your qualifications during June, make sure you have a chat with your accountant and ask about a self-education deduction on your tax return.
And tell him, you may not have won a meat tray, but you did receive the Churchill EOFY Bonus (valued at $700):
- Fast Track (get your qualifications in 7 days) (valued at $350)
- Priority Mail (get your qualifications sooner)
- LinkedIn Review session (valued at $350)
Contact us on any of the methods below to get going on that meat tray, er, I mean free appraisal!
Randall
