Educators encouraged to keep solid records and maximise legal deductions for tax time

Early childhood education and care (ECEC) professionals are an important part of the Australian workforce, TaxFox tax expert Andrew Chia said, however they “sometimes appear to overlook essential deductions which form part of their day to day roles”.

1. General sun protection clothing and gear, such as a hat, and sunscreen;
2. Union fees and membership fees as part of their association;
3. Working from home expenses which may include electricity and/or internet expenses
4. Extra curricular activities which are part of paid employment and which would also mean that additional travel may be required so a claim for a motor vehicle expenses may arise; and,
5. Additional materials purchased as part of their role for a subject or for use with children would also be deductible

• Keep receipts for all deductions claimed - this can be done electronically with photos 

• Record the amount of time spent working from home 

• Remember that when working from home, a space should be a dedicated workspace, otherwise a prorated calculation needs to be used

• For vehicle and travel expenses use a log book, app, or use the cents per km methodology

• Remember that travel to and from work from your place of residence is not considered as work travel

• There may be additional travel related expenses, such as parking and tolls to be claimed.