Back in April 2020 the ATO announced that a ‘shortcut’ method was to be made available to use from 1 March 2020 until 30 June 2020 for individuals claiming home office expenses due to COVID-19. The ATO has recently announced an extension of this shortcut method to also include 1 July 2020 to 30 September 2020.
In summary, a taxpayer can claim a deduction of 80 cents for each hour they work from home due to COVID-19 as long as the individual is:
– working from home to fulfil their employment duties and not just carrying out minimal tasks such as occasionally checking emails or taking calls; and
– incurring additional deductible running expenses as a result of working from home.
A taxpayer does not have to have a separate or dedicated area of their home set aside for working, such as a private study.
The shortcut method rate covers all deductible running expenses such as: electricity and gas used for heating/cooling and running electronic items used for work purposes; depreciation and repair of assets used for work purposes; work-related phone and internet costs.
Editor: If you are working from home due to COVID-19 and have queries about what deductions you can claim, contact our office.
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