What can you claim for your job?

Three questions, then a checklist that shows where each claim goes on your return, with the ATO page behind it.

How do you earn?

It decides where each claim goes: your myTax deductions, or your business expenses.

Where each claim goes

The same cost lands in a different place depending on how you earn. On wages it is a work-related deduction at a myTax label; in your own business it is a business expense.

ClaimOn wagesIn your business
Driving for workD1 Work-related car expensesMotor vehicle expenses
Overnight work travelD2 Work-related travel expensesBusiness travel expenses
Protective clothing and gearD3 Work clothing, laundry and dry-cleaningOther operating expenses
Uniform and occupation-specific clothingD3 Work clothing, laundry and dry-cleaningOther operating expenses
Tools and equipmentD5 Other work-related expensesDepreciating assets
Repairs, servicing and calibrationD5 Other work-related expensesRepairs and maintenance
Materials and consumablesD5 Other work-related expensesOther operating expenses
Licence, registration and checks you renewD5 Other work-related expensesOther operating expenses
Union and professional association feesD5 Other work-related expensesOther operating expenses
Phone and internet (work share)D5 Other work-related expensesOther operating expenses
Working from homeD5 Other work-related expensesHome-based business expenses
Computer, laptop and tablet (work share)D5 Other work-related expensesDepreciating assets
Software, apps and subscriptionsD5 Other work-related expensesDigital product expenses
Courses and training for your current workD4 Work-related self-educationOther operating expenses
Overtime mealsD5 Other work-related expensesNot a business claim
Agent and manager feesD5 Other work-related expensesOther operating expenses
Public liability and professional indemnity insuranceD5 Other work-related expensesOther operating expenses
Advertising and winning workNot an employee claimOther operating expenses
Bank, merchant and payment feesNot an employee claimOther operating expenses
Invoices that were never paidNot an employee claimBad debts
Tax agent and accounting feesD10 Cost of managing tax affairsCost of managing tax affairs (D10)
Income protection insuranceD15 Other deductionsOther deductions (D15)
Personal super contributionsD12 Personal super contributionsPersonal super contributions (D12)
Donations to registered charitiesD9 Gifts or donationsGifts or donations (D9)

Two rules change the picture. From 2026-27, an eligible employee can take a standard deduction of up to $1,000 instead of keeping receipts. And a contractor paid mainly for their own effort may fall under the personal services income rules, which limit what the business can claim.

How the finder works

  1. Choose how you earnWages or salary, your own business, or both. It decides where each claim goes on your return.
  2. Pick your occupationSearch 68 occupations, or browse by group.
  3. Tick what you paid forClaims specific to your work come first, with an example for your job, then the ones everyone should check.
  4. Get your checklistGrouped by where each claim goes, with the ATO page for each. Copy it, print it, or let 2Fin track it.

Occupations in the finder

Underlined occupations also have a full written guide. Any of them opens the finder ready for that work.

Questions about claiming for your job

What can I claim on tax for my job?

Expenses you paid for yourself, that your employer or client did not reimburse, that relate directly to earning your income, and that you can back up with records. What that covers depends on the work: an electrician’s test instruments, a nurse’s registration renewal, a rideshare driver’s fuel for the business share. The finder lists the claims that come up for each occupation, with the ATO page for each.

Do employees and sole traders claim the same deductions?

Many of the same costs, but in different places and sometimes under different rules. An employee claims work expenses at the myTax deduction labels, D1 to D5, such as D1 for car expenses and D5 for other work-related expenses. A sole trader claims business expenses in the business section of the return. Some rules differ too: on wages, a tool of $300 or less is claimed in full that year, while business assets follow the depreciation rules or a small-business write-off when one is available.

I have a job and a side business. How do I claim?

Keep them apart. Costs of your job are claimed as work-related deductions; costs of the business are business expenses, and one cost cannot be claimed twice. Choose "Both" in the finder and it shows each side separately, so a car you use for both is split by how much of its use belongs to each.

Should I claim my expenses or take the standard deduction?

From the 2026-27 income year, an eligible employee can take a standard deduction of up to $1,000 for work-related expenses without keeping receipts. If what you actually spent is more, claiming your real expenses is usually worth it, and then you need written evidence for every expense you claim. Union fees, donations and the cost of managing your tax affairs are claimed separately either way.

Is my checklist saved or sent anywhere?

No. The finder runs in your browser and keeps your answers only in the page address, so you can bookmark or share it. Nothing is sent unless you choose to sign up to 2Fin, and then only the occupation, how you earn and which claims you ticked go with you, to set up your account.

My occupation is not listed. What should I pick?

Search by what you do rather than your job title, for example "physio", "Uber" or "support worker". If nothing fits, pick the closest group, like Other trade or Office or admin worker, and use the common claims every employee or sole trader should check. The ATO also publishes occupation and industry guides for many jobs.

Sources

Every claim links to the ATO page it is based on: the 2026 individual tax return instructions for D1 to D15, and the ATO’s deductions guidance for businesses. See also the ATO’s occupation and industry guides and 2Fin’s tax deduction guides. General information, not tax advice.

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