Since the lockdowns of 2020-2021, the idea of working from home has become much more mainstream, with many still working from home at least some days of the week in 2024. As we head into the 2023/24 tax season, we offer this refresher on how to claim a tax deduction in your personal tax return, for expenses incurred while working from home. The Australian Taxation Office offers two methods to choose from, when calculating your working from home tax deduction; the fixed rate method an...

How to end the financial year on a high note   As the financial year draws to a close, it's the perfect time to review your financial affairs and set the stage for a successful new financial year. By taking care of essential tasks and implementing strategic planning, you can position yourself for a smooth transition and a strong start for the year to come. Topping up super One important item for the To Do list is to top up your super with either concessional (pre-tax) or non-conc...

What does the Federal Budget mean for me? Treasurer Jim Chalmers has high hopes that his 2024 Federal Budget will rein in inflation earlier than expected, ease cost-of-living pressures and build a stronger economy in the future. It’s a Budget for the here and now, he says, but also for the decades to come. More than $8.4 billion has been allocated to quick-fix cost-of-living adjustments along with the previously announced Stage 3 tax cuts and the waiving of $3 billion in student debt...

Making Sure Your Deductions Don't Get Personal It can be easy to overlook your personal use of business assets when it comes to completing your business and self managed super fund tax returns but be warned, the ATO is taking an interest in this area. The ATO’s Small Business Random Enquiry Program found around 16 per cent of small businesses were either carelessly or deliberately overclaiming expenses in their tax returns. If business assets are used for a mix of business and pr...

We’re all now only too aware of the risk of cybercrime after the well-publicised data hacks of Medibank Private and Optus. Although these crimes involved large organisations, email scams, cyberattacks and online scams also represent a major risk for small businesses, particularly if you don’t have the funds or knowhow to strengthen your digital security. The latest Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC) Annual Cyber Threat Report warned no-one was immune to cyber threats, with ...