Aus Tax TrackerThe Aus Tax Tracker blog
Demystifying the complicated world of tax and finance for Aussie employees.
8 min read
Medicare levy surcharge: why you can owe it under $101,000 (and why extras cover won't help)
On the 2025–26 return, income for the Medicare levy surcharge can clear $101,000 even when taxable income does not. Extras cover does not switch it off.
4 min read
31 October is a Saturday — the agent deadline that doesn't roll to Monday
Self-lodgers get Monday 2 November 2026. If you want a registered tax agent for this return, you need to be on their client list by Saturday 31 October.
5 min read
You're not owed $300 — the work-expense threshold isn't a free claim
On a 2025–26 return the $300 work-expense line only changes the records you keep. You still have to have spent the money.
4 min read
Your payslip already shows the tax cut. Your 2025–26 return does not.
Payslips since 1 July 2026 withhold on a 15c second bracket. The 2025–26 return you lodge by 31 October is still assessed at 16c on that band.
3 min read
HELP repayments on your 2025–26 return aren't a % of everything anymore
Compulsory HELP repayments on this return only apply to income above $67,000 — until the top band, which flips back to 10% of everything. First Tax Time under the new rules.
5 min read
Don't claim the $1,000 standard deduction on your 2025–26 return
The ATO's July dos and don'ts say not to claim the $1,000 instant work deduction until Tax Time 2027. Here's what that means for the 2025–26 return you're lodging now.
2 min read
Lodging your return: dates, prefill, and not rushing
Why lodging on 2 July often backfires, what prefill covers, and the deadlines that matter for the 2025-26 return.
2 min read
What a deduction is actually worth
A deduction gives you back your marginal rate, not the amount you spent. Here's the 2026-27 arithmetic, and why that matters for spending decisions.
3 min read
How to claim big purchases like laptops
Under $300 you deduct it now. Over $300 you spread it over the asset's effective life — with a work-use percentage on top.
3 min read
Which car trips are actually deductible
Home to work is not deductible. Between two workplaces usually is. Here are the lines that matter, plus the exceptions people get wrong.
3 min read
Cents per km vs logbook: which car method suits you
The 5,000 km cap decides this for most people. Here's the break-even maths, plus what each method needs you to keep.
3 min read
Working from home: fixed rate or actual cost?
The 70c per hour fixed rate is simpler, but it isn't always bigger. Here's how the two methods differ, and the records each one needs.
2 min read
An EOFY checklist for PAYG employees
What to do in the last weeks of June, and what to gather before you lodge, without turning it into a weekend project.
3 min read
Phone and internet: getting the work percentage right
A defensible claim needs a percentage you can explain. Here's how the four-week representative diary works, and when the fixed rate already covers you.
2 min read
Uniforms, laundry, and what clothing you can claim
Conventional clothing isn't deductible, no matter what your employer asks you to wear. Three narrow categories are — and laundry follows them.
General information only, current at the time of writing. It is not tax advice — check the ATO guidance or your registered tax agent for your own circumstances.