Did you know if you work and study at the same time and incur self-education expenses, you may be able to claim those expenses as a tax deduction?
To be eligible to claim your current employment and the course you undertake must have a "sufficient connection" and you must satisfy at least one of these conditions:Top of Form
- you are upgrading your qualifications for your current employment – for example, upgrading from a Bachelor qualification to a Masters qualification
- you are improving specific skills or knowledge used in your current employment – for example, a course that will allow you to operate more machinery at work
- you are employed as a trainee and you are undertaking a course that forms part of that traineeship – for example, an overseas trained person employed as an intern while doing a bridging course
- you can show that at the time you were working and studying, your course led, or was likely to lead, to an increase in employment income – for example, a teacher who will automatically get a pay increase as a result of completing the course.
If you meet the eligibility requirements; the following self-education expenses are allowable tax deductions:
- tuition fees, including fees payable under FEE-HELP (this does not include expenses paid under HECS-HELP)
- tuition fees, including fees payable under VET FEE-HELP
- self-education expenses paid with your OS-HELP loan
- textbooks, professional and trade journals
- stationery
- photocopying
- computer expenses
- student union fees
- student services and amenities fees
- accommodation and meals, where the course requirements require you to be away from home for one or more nights
- running expenses if you have a room set aside for self-education purposes – such as the cost of heating, cooling and lighting that room while you are studying in it
- allowable travel expenses.
Some of these expenses may need to be apportioned and/or depreciated.
To ensure that you maximise your tax refund and correctly claim for Self –Education expenses, please contact us to have one of our tax agents prepare your return.
