Top Tech Items To Claim On Tax This EOFY

If you’ve bought a new laptop, upgraded your headphones, or invested in a second monitor to make work that little bit easier, good news: you may be able to claim it on tax. Read on as we go through EOFY tax deductions you may be overlooking, which could lead to real savings.

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You can claim electronics on tax if you use them for work-related purposes, including phones, laptops, tablets, printers, scanners, monitors, keyboards, microphones, and more. If you use a device for both personal and business purposes, you can still claim a portion that relates to your work usage. Just make sure you keep all relevant receipts, as well as a log of your work-related usage.

Yes, you can claim a laptop on tax if you incur the cost (meaning, an employer doesn’t reimburse it for you) and use it to perform your work duties. The same applies to PCs, monitors, and software.

If the laptop costs under $300 and you use it more than 50% of the time for work purposes, you can claim the full amount immediately in the year of purchase; otherwise, you can claim a deduction for the decline in value over the effective life of the device.

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You can claim a portion of your phone expenses that relate to your business usage. This may be making and receiving work calls, using data for meetings or research, or contacting suppliers. If you use your phone for both work and personal purposes, you’ll need to calculate the work-related percentage. To do so, keep a 4-week usage diary tracking the number of work and personal calls, as well as the time you spent on work-related tasks. Then, apply the percentage to your phone costs.

Headphones can be a legitimate business expense, once again, if you use them for work. For instance, this could be the case if you work remotely and use them for video calls, use them to edit audio as part of your job, or rely on them for clear communication in noisy settings. You may need to show meeting schedules or similar documentation to substantiate the claim.

A camera may be claimable if you use it as part of your job, for example, as a photographer, videographer, content creator, journalist, social media manager, or even real estate agent, if you use the camera for property listings. The key thing is that the camera needs to be essential for your work, not just a nice-to-have. On top of receipts and work diaries, it can be a good idea to keep project records like client briefs and/or content calendars.

You can claim a laptop bag in your tax return if you use it to carry a work laptop to and from work, you commute regularly for work purposes, or the bag is specifically designed to carry and protect tech equipment. Other accessories that may qualify for deductions include laptop stands, external keyboards and mice, drawing tables, cable organisers, camera bags, and USB docks.

Unlike most electronics mentioned in this article, watches are generally considered a personal expense and, as such, are not tax-deductible. There is, however, one exception: smartwatches used primarily for work. For example, if you’re a tradie who uses smartwatch features like timers or job tracking apps, or if you’re a personal trainer who uses it to monitor client performance, your smartwatch may qualify (or at least, the portion of the cost that directly relates to your job).

EOFY is the perfect time to review your purchases and check what you can and can’t claim on your return. We’ve already mentioned a lot of the claimable devices throughout this article, but as a summary, you can claim the work-related portion of:

• Electronics: Laptops, tablets, PCs, mobile phones, cameras, smartwatches, accessories such as headphones and keyboards.

• Utilities: Electricity, internet and phone bills.

• Office furniture: Desks, chairs, monitor arms, laptop stands.

And if you’re wondering, “Can I claim a coffee machine at work?”, we hate to be the bearer of bad news, but the Australian Tax Office (ATO) is usually quite strict with this one. It is considered a private expense, not a work must-have, so it’s not typically claimable.

Whether you’re looking to upgrade your tech or replace home appliances, Bing Lee is offering massive EOFY savings across a wide range of products. Don’t waste any time, they are only available until June 30!