With so many people now working from home it’s a good time to review the key rules for claiming deductions associated with working from home. After all, working from home will potentially be the new norm for many people for at least 3 months in the current income year and, quite possibly, 3 months in the next income year.
There are 4 overarching principles which we refer to as the ‘golden rules’ for deductibility. For an expense to be deductible, a taxpayer must:
In working out what is deductible, it is important to distinguish between two different categories of expenses – operating expenses (sometimes referred to as running costs) and occupancy expenses (sometimes referred to as home office expenses).
The work-related portion of the following operating expenses may be legitimately claimed:
For the depreciation of items listed in point 1, if the amount is less than $300, an immediate deduction for the work-related portion can be claimed; otherwise it must be written off over the effective life of the asset.
How do I calculate depreciation and running costs?
The ATO applies some useful administrative rules to allow either a reasonable portion based on a reasonable test of the actual expenses incurred or a flat rate of 80 cents per hour (this rate was recently lifted from 52 cents per hour as a COVID-19 support measure).
Flat rate method
This flat rate includes heating, cooling, lighting, cleaning and the decline in value of furniture, so if using the flat rate, you can’t also claim depreciation on office furniture – although it can still be separately claimed for office equipment.
A record can be kept of hours worked from home or a diary should be maintained for at least 4 representative weeks to record the amount of time the home is used for work purposes. For example, if as a result of the COVID-19 issue, 25 hours of a working week is conducted at home for 12 weeks in the year to 30 June 2020, $240 can be claimed as a deduction (25 x 12 x 0.80).
Actual expenses method
If you plan to claim a deduction based on actual expenses incurred, the receipts will be needed together with a detailed explanation of the basis of apportionment such as floor space used for work purposes relative to total work space in the house.
What about mobile phones?
Mobile phone usage is also subject to some administrative short-cuts with a standard $50 fixed deduction per year being allowed. Otherwise, an apportioned deduction based on actual expenses is required – and that can be quite rigorous, requiring a diary to be kept for a representative 4-week period.
Generally, occupancy or ownership expenses cannot be claimed by employees. This includes expenses such as interest on mortgages, rent, council rates and land tax. All such items relate to costs associated with occupying the premises as a whole – as opposed to running costs associated specifically with working from home.
The only genuine qualification to this exclusion arises if there is a dedicated area which is dedicated as a workplace. An example would be a doctor’s surgery run from the doctor’s home. However, it can apply in other less clear-cut examples as well.
There is a downside to consider: if a claim is made for occupancy or ownership expenses, the ‘capital gains tax main residence exemption’ will be compromised. It is not so compromised if only operational (running) expenses are claimed.
Many employees are working from home for the first time. To facilitate this, equipment and services such as laptops or other mobile devices, web cams, headsets, cloud-based platforms for video and audio conferencing and webinars have been quickly purchased in the last few weeks.
If the employer has paid for any of these items outright or reimbursed the employee for any such expenses incurred, the employee cannot claim any amount and the employer is entitled to the deduction for the expense or the decline in value of the depreciating asset.
If the employee has borne the cost without being reimbursed by their employer, they are entitled to claim a deduction to the extent of taxable use, but they must adjust their claim for any private use.
That seems to be the broad picture for now, as we head into this uncertain and difficult period. The rules were designed for an era when working from home was the exception not the rule. To a large extent that has changed hopefully only for a limited period of time. The ATO has already responded by lifting the flat rate mentioned above from 52 cents to 80 cents per hour. Whether any further changes are likely to be forthcoming is an open question, but we do think it is one that requires active consideration as the goalposts have moved.
The important thing is, as we get closer to tax time, refer to your accountant or tax professional for advice and guidance on what you can legitimately claim.