Sales and Marketing Professionals

If you're a sales and marketing professional, it pays to know what tax deductions you can claim at tax time. This information will help you to work out what:

income and allowances to report
you can and can't claim as a work-related deduction
records you need to keep.

Book an appointment at your nearest ITP tax agent.

Book Now

Deductions you can claim

Car Expenses

You can claim a deduction when you are:

Driving between separate workplaces (eg a second job)
Regularly working at more than one site each day before returning home
Driving to and from an alternate workplace for the same employer (eg driving to meet clients)

In limited circumstances you can claim the cost of trips between home and work, where:

you had shifting places of employment (that is, you regularly worked at more than one site each day before returning home)
you were required to carry bulky tools or equipment for work and all of the following conditions were met
> The tools or equipment were essential for you to perform your employment duties and you didn’t carry them merely as a matter of choice.
> The tools or equipment were bulky – meaning that because of their size and weight they were awkward to transport and could only be transported conveniently by the use of a motor vehicle.
> There was no secure storage for the items at the workplace.

If you claim car expenses, you need to keep a logbook to determine the work-related percentage, or be able to demonstrate to the ATO a reasonable calculation if you use the cents per kilometre method to claim.

You generally can’t claim the cost of trips between home and work, even if you live a long way from your usual workplace or have to work outside normal business hours – eg having to work late to attend a sales event.

If you salary sacrifice your car this means your employer is covering the costs and you cannot claim a deduction.

Self-Education and Professional Development Expenses

Travel Expenses

You can claim a deduction for travel expenses if you are required to travel overnight from your usual work location (eg for a sales conference), provided the cost was incurred while carrying out your work duties. Travel expenses may include meals and accommodation, fares, petrol and incidentals such as parking fees and tolls.

Receiving a travel allowance from your employer does not automatically entitle you to a deduction. You still need to show that you were away overnight, you spent the money yourself, and the travel was directly related to earning your income (eg it was not a personal expense).

Clothing Expenses

Home Office Expenses

You can claim a percentage of the running costs of your home office if you have to work from home, including depreciation of office equipment, work-related phone calls and internet access charges, and electricity for heating, cooling and lighting costs.

If you are required to purchase equipment for your work and it costs more than $300, you can claim a deduction for this cost spread over a number of years (depreciation).

If you keep a diary of your home office usage, you can calculate your claim quickly using the home office expenses calculator.

You generally can’t claim the cost of rates, mortgage interest, rent and insurance.

To claim a deduction
for work-related expenses

You can only claim the work-related part of expenses. You can't claim a deduction for any part of the expense that relates to personal use.

You must have a record to prove it.

You must have spent the money yourself and weren't reimbursed

It must be directly related to earning your income

Get the most out of your tax refund with ITP.

I want a tax expert to maximise my refund

Either in-person, over the phone or through email with maximum refund guaranteed.

Find an Office

I want to do my tax online

Finish your tax return now, in minutes.

Get Started