In preparation for tax time 2020, undoubtedly you would be excited about claiming all your home office expenses for the months you were required to work from home. To assist you with your preparations, we have put together a simple guide, per below;

Tax Tips!

It is important that you maintain a diary of 4 weeks for both pre Covid and during Covid periods (separately) to be able to justify your claim. The diary could be in form of an excel file log showing hours worked with a short description of work done over a continued period of 4 weeks. You can use roster records (showing work from home) as an alternative, if provided to you by work.

Remember, you need to pass the 3 tests to be able to claim an expense as work related:

• The incurred test - You need to have spent money and not be reimbursed.
• The nexus test - The amount spent should be directly related to your work and not be ancillary.
• The substantiation test - You need to maintain records to substantiate your expenses. 

For further information on work related expenses please click the below helpful links from the ATO:

 Working from home         Support for individuals and employees working from home

Additionally, please feel free to download your copy of our extensive checklists here in preparation for your appointment.