Travel Agent

If you're a travel agent, 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.

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Deductions you can claim

Travel Expenses

You can claim a deduction for travel expenses if you travel away from your home overnight to attend conferences, seminars, training courses or industry promotion events relating to your job.

You can claim a deduction for expenses (such as meals, flights, taxis and accommodation) if the travel directly relates to your job and:

your employer provides educational or familiarisation travel to learn about new products or tour destinations, or
where you use educational leave to undertake such travel.

You generally can’t claim a deduction for:

personal holidays, even if they are discounted by your employer
travel expenses if your employer or another person has paid for these or reimbursed you
travel insurance – as these policies cover private items
such as illness, loss of baggage and theft
passport application and renewal fees
travel expenses related to taking a family member or friend with you on work travel.

Car Expenses

You can claim a deduction for the cost of using your car when you drive:

between separate jobs on the same day – for example, from your usual workplace to work at a different office

You can’t claim a deduction for 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.

If you claim car expenses, you can use the logbook method or the cents per kilometre method. If you use the logbook method, you need to keep a logbook to determine the percentage of work-related use for your car. If you use the cents per kilometre method, you need to provide a calculation of your work-related kilometres and be able to demonstrate that those kilometres were work related.

Clothing and Laundry Expenses

You can claim a deduction for the cost of buying, hiring, mending or cleaning certain uniforms that are unique and distinctive to your employer.

You can claim the costs of laundering occupation-specific clothing or a distinctive uniform. If your employer buys, mends or cleans your clothing you can’t claim a deduction.

You can’t claim a deduction for the cost of buying or cleaning plain clothing worn at work or functions, even if:

you only wear it to work, or
your employer tells you to wear it (eg black trousers or a business suit).

Self-Education Expenses

You can claim a deduction for self-education expenses if your study relates directly to your current job and:

will maintain or improve the skills you need, or
might result in an increase in income from your current employment (eg a Certificate III in Travel).

You can’t claim a deduction if your study doesn’t relate to your current job or is only related in a general way, or is designed to help you get a new job. For example, you can’t claim the cost of a Bachelor of Hotel Management to get a job as a hotel manager).