What you can claim tax deductions for without needing a receipt
As tax time approaches, Australians are thinking about collecting receipts and other records to help them get a handy refund soon. Receipts are the easiest way to satisfy the Australian Taxation Office that your deduction is real, but there are some deductions where receipts are unnecessary or impossible to get.
The ATO understands this but is warning that you need to prove how you calculated all your deductions, usually with some form of written evidence or secondary record such as bank statements.
Home office usage, work-related car expenses and uniform costs are among the deductions that don’t always require receipts. People can claim work-related deductions totalling up to $300 without receipts, but assistant commissioner Kath Anderson said some taxpayers incorrectly believed they could make this standard $300 claim even if they didn’t spend it.
You must have actually spent the money, and be able to show us how you worked out your deduction if asked,”
“It’s about having a record of your calculations.” This did not mean that your work-related uniform deductions required a list of every single wash, but you would need to show a reasonable calculation to justify your claim, Ms Anderson said.