So you spent money on work-related expenses but don't have receipts and wonder "what can I claim on tax without receipts"?

The following deductions are the “what can I claim on tax without receipts” deductions list:
Home Office Expenses ATO Covid-19
The ATO allows a temporary shortcut method for taxpayers to claim deductions for additional running expenses incurred as a result of working from home due to Covid-19. This method allows a deduction for all running expenses incurred from 01/07/2020 30/06/2021, at a rate of 80c per hour you carry out genuine work activities from home. These include:
- Cleaning costs for the dedicated work area
- Bills related to cooling, heating, and power
- Ink, printing paper, and stationery
- Depreciation of home office furniture i.e. desk, chair, computer, and printer,
- Home line and wifi expenses.
-
Home Office Expense ATO PRE Covid-19
-
Tax Deductions on Donations
-
Union and Membership Fees
Car Work-related Expenses
If you use a personal car for trips between two jobs or sites on the same day and you have not kept a logbook, you can claim deduction using cents per kilometre method. This method allows a claim of 72 cents per kilometre at 5,000km max for the 2020/21 financial year. You’ll need to provide how you work out your work kilometres by producing diary records of work-related trips.
If you travel more than the 5,000km cap, you’ll need to keep a logbook which is easy using the ATO MyDeductions App.
The ATO does not allow a deduction for travel trips from home-to-work and work to home.
-
Uniforms and Protective Clothing
-
Uniform Washing or Laundry
- $1 per load – if each load contains only work-related clothing.
- 50 cents per load – if private laundry items are included.
Phone and Internet Bills
If your employer needs you to use your phone for work, you may also be able to claim a deduction for only the work-related portion of the BILLS.
The ATO requires you to keep records for a 4-week consecutive in each financial year, which can include phone bills and diary entries. Here’s an example of how to work phone plan or prepaid sim:
- If the 4-week records reveal that you made 30 work-related calls over a total of 100 calls, then your work use is 30% =(30/100).
- Work out your monthly phone bill, say $30pm.
- Work out the total number of months you worked during that financial year, say 10months
The calculation is:
- Monthly work use = $9 = (30% x $30pm)
- Yearly work use = $108 = ($9 x 10months)
-
Claiming Phone on Tax
If you use your phone for work, claiming a depreciation expense on the phone is a great example of “what can I claim on tax without receipts”. Mobiles have a life of 3 years. There are 3 methods of claiming:-
- Immediate depreciation if cost under $300, otherwise, use the one of the 2 methods below:
- Diminishing = phone cost x no.days held / 365days x (200/3) x portion % of work use.
- Prime Cost = phone cost x no.days held / 365days x (100/3) x portion % of work use.
-
The overall deduction you can claim on items under “what can I claim on tax without receipts or proof” is $300.
Lastly, if you wish to use our service you, to maximise your return we are required to obtain details of the expenses you intend to claim deductions, in accordance with our privacy policy.
Record Required:
In order for you to be able to claim the items in “what can I claim on tax without receipts” you must meet the ATO’s 3 rules:
- you must have spent the money yourself;
- the expense must be work-related, and you weren’t reimbursed,
- you must have a record to prove it.* (not necessarily receipts)
Receipt alternatives can be bank or paypal statements showing transactions for the purchases, the ATO may sometimes accept that deduction. To maximise tax refund further check out your eligibility for tax offsets.