Tax Deductions For Health Professionals
Are you a nurse, doctor, midwife, or other professional working in the health industry? You may be able to maximise your tax return by claiming all the tax deductions you are eligible for based on your career. It can be difficult to work out what exactly you can claim on your tax return, so use this list as a guideline for some tax deductions you might not have been aware of.
Car Expenses
If you work at multiple hospitals or other work-places, you can claim travel expenses from one place of work to the other. This includes if you are employed by two employers, or if you are required to attend a meeting at another hospital. However, you cannot include traveling to other hospitals for social functions. To claim car expenses, you need to keep a logbook to record how many kilometres you travel for work, and you should also keep receipts for fuel. There are multiple ways to work out how much you are able to claim for this deduction, so if you have all this evidence your accountant will be able to work out the highest deduction you can claim.
Uniform Expenses
As a health professional, you are most likely required to wear a uniform. You cannot claim plain coloured clothing which your employer tells you is part of your uniform, but you can make claims for compulsory uniform items. Compulsory uniform clothing can be distinguished by your employer's logo, or the uniform may be specified in the uniform policy of your workplace. You can also make a claim for specialty work clothing, such as non-slip footwear.
You can claim a deduction for laundry expenses of your uniform; you can use the work-related uniform expenses calculator or your accountant can work it out for you. It is a good idea to keep a written record of these expenses; however, if your claim for uniform expenses is less than $150 you will not need to provide this evidence with your tax return.
Education Expenses
If you decide to start studying and the course is directly related to your current position, you can claim your education expenses as a deduction. However, you cannot claim self-education expenses if you are not currently working in a position relevant to the course, or if you are unemployed and the course will provide you with a qualification to obtain a new job. Expenses you may be able to claim can include tuition fees, travel expenses from your home or workplace to place of study and back again, and a proportion of the depreciation for your computer for education purposes.
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