Eligible Courses to Claim Self-Education Expenses

Self-education expenses are deductible when the course you undertake leads to a formal qualification and meets the following conditions:

• The course must have a sufficient connection to your current employment and:
• maintain or improve the specific skills or knowledge you require in your current employment, or
• results in, or is likely to result in, an increase in your income from your current employment.

You cannot claim a deduction for self-education expenses for a course that does not have a sufficient connection to your current employment even though it:

• might be generally related to it, or
• enables you to get new employment.

What Can I Claim?

You can claim the following expenses in relation to your self-education:

• accommodation and meals (if away from home overnight)
• computer consumables
• course or tuition fees
• decline in value for depreciating assets (cost exceeds $300)
• purchase of equipment or technical instruments costing $300 or less
• equipment repairs
• fares
• home office running costs
• interest
• internet usage (excluding connection fees)
• parking fees (only for work-related claims)
• phone calls
• postage
• stationery
• student union fees
• student services and amenities fees
• textbooks
• trade, professional, or academic journals
• travel to-and-from place of education (only for work-related claims)

If an expense is partly for your self-education and partly for other purposes, you can only claim the amount that relates to your self-education as a deduction.

Expenses You Can’t Claim

You cannot claim the following expenses in relation to your self-education:

• repayments of Higher Education Loan Program (HELP) loans (although the fees paid by some HELP loans are)
• Student Financial Supplement Scheme (SFSS) repayments
• home office occupancy expenses
• meals where you’re not sleeping away from home

Attending conferences and seminars

Even though attending such an event doesn’t typically generate a formal qualification, you can also claim the cost of attending seminars, conferences or workshops that are sufficiently connected to your work activities. This can include formal education courses provided by professional associations.

For any tax-related queries feel free to visit KPG Taxation, Dandenong

Address: Dandenong Hub Suite 40, Level 1, 15-23 Langhorne Street Dandenong Vic 3175 Australia

Phone: 03 9706 9313

Email: info@kpgtaxation.com.au