If you work as a tradie — whether you're an employee or running your own ABN — there's a long list of things you can legitimately claim at tax time, and most tradies leave money on the table by not claiming all of them. The ATO's rule is simple and worth memorising: a deduction has to be work-related, you must have spent the money yourself (and not been reimbursed), and you need a record to prove it. Get those three right and you can claim everything below.
Tools and equipment
Tools are the obvious one, and the rules depend on cost:
- Tools costing $300 or less can be claimed in full in the year you buy them (for employees).
