Tax deductions for security guards
As a security guard you can generally claim your licence renewal, compulsory uniforms and laundry, required equipment, and first-aid training.
Security work has a clear compliance backbone — the licence and gear the role requires — which is where most claims sit. Here’s what usually counts.
The three rules for any claim
- You paid for it yourself and weren’t reimbursed.
- It directly relates to earning your income.
- You have a record — a receipt, invoice or bank statement.
Checked against ATO guidance: August 2026
What you can usually claim
Licence renewal and self-education
Renewing your security licence and relevant endorsements, and training that builds on the skills in your current role.
Uniforms and laundry
Compulsory or protective uniforms and their laundering.
Equipment and first aid
Work-required equipment you buy yourself, such as a torch or protective items, and first-aid or CPR training.
Buying bigger gear: what happens at tax time
Most guards are employees, so a bigger purchase — a torch, a body camera, a two-way radio — has no GST side: anything $300 or under is claimed in full that year, and dearer items are claimed over their effective life. Private use trims the share you claim each year, not the value you carry on the register.
General information, not personal tax advice. What you can claim depends on your circumstances — check the ATO's own occupation guides or a registered tax agent, and keep records for every claim.
Keep in mind
- The cost of getting your initial licence to enter the occupation.
- Ordinary clothing without a logo.
- The commute to a regular site.
Where mistakes happen
The claims most likely to get adjusted — not because they're disallowed outright, but because the split or the timing was off.
- Claiming the cost of the initial licence course that let you enter the industry — only renewals of an existing licence are deductible.
- Claiming equipment, like a torch or radio, that your employer actually issued.
Take it further
Your income tax, Medicare levy and take-home pay on any salary.
AI2Fin for contractors →Every job costed by the time you’re home
Track it: the asset register →Log the purchase once and AI2Fin carries the effective life, the yearly deduction and the private-use share for you.
Sole trader →The simplest business structure — you and the business are one.
Marginal tax rate →The tax rate on your next dollar of income.
Effective life →How many years an asset is expected to be used — the base of every depreciation rate.
Capital purchase (GST on Capital) →An asset you buy to use over years — G10 on the BAS, then depreciated.
Security guards — common questions
Can I claim my security licence renewal?
Renewing the licence you need to keep working is generally deductible; the cost of your initial licence to enter the field usually isn’t. This is general information, not personal tax advice — what you can claim depends on your circumstances, so check with the ATO or a registered tax agent, and keep records to back up every claim.
Can I claim equipment like a torch?
Work-required equipment you buy yourself is generally claimable, with more expensive items claimed over their effective life. This is general information, not personal tax advice — what you can claim depends on your circumstances, so check with the ATO or a registered tax agent, and keep records to back up every claim.
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