COVID-19: Working from home

Due to COVID-19 your working arrangements may have changed. If you have been working from home, you may have expenses you can claim a deduction for at tax time.

While there is a temporary shortcut method that the ATO has introduced, of 80c per hour of working from home time, we recommend you track all expenses that you think may be deductible and bring these into your tax appointment (remote or in person if COVID allows).

ATO temporary shortcut

The ATO has introduced a temporary shortcut method. It’s a simple way to calculate these expenses with minimal record keeping requirements.

The shortcut method initially applied from 1 March 2020 to 30 June 2020, however it can now be applied up until 30 September 2020.

This means, you will be able to use the shortcut method to calculate your working at home expenses for the period from: 1 March 2020 to 30 June 2020 in the 2019–20 income year, and 1 July 2020 to 30 September 2020 in the 2020–21 income year.

The ATO may extend this period, depending on when work patterns return to normal. In most cases, if you are working from home as an employee, there will be no capital gains tax (CGT) implications for your home.