MEMBERSHIP
JOHN SMITH
Membership Type : Network Membership Membership No : 125963 Expires : 31 / 12 / 2018
Website login : john @ fitnessnetwork . com . au Network website password : 125963
PHONE : 1300 493 832 E-MAIL : info @ fitnessnetwork . com . au WEB : fitnessnetwork . com . au
Work-related training
You can claim expenses for university or TAFE fees to the extent that the course relates to you current employment and you ’ re not being reimbursed . For example , a personal trainer could claim for the cost of doing a Bachelor of Exercise Science . You can also claim associated costs such as text books , travel to the educational institution and stationary .
As a fitness professional , you need to undertake ongoing professional development to keep up to date with the latest trends and practices in fitness and health , such as completing CEC courses or attending events like FILEX , so it ’ s good to note that these costs will also be deductible to the extent they are linked to your current job .
You cannot , however , claim for a prevocational course , such as a Certificate III in Fitness .
Other deductions
• They may not be as significant in dollar terms as some of the items listed above , but make sure you claim the following :
• Any work-related subscriptions or membership fees ( including your membership of Australian Fitness Network )
• Magazines , journals , books , apps or websites which are related to your work
• The cost of using your personal mobile phone for work-related purposes
• Equipment hire .
Gym memberships
Your job is to help everybody else improve their physical fitness so surely it makes sense that you can claim the cost of boosting your own fitness ? Sadly not . The ATO takes a hard line on gym memberships , saying that they are only claimable where the person claiming them needs to have a level of fitness well above normal . Professional sportspeople are quoted by the ATO as an example of who can make a claim , while personal trainers and fitness instructors are specifically ruled out .
Remember to keep records !
Even if you ’ ve incurred any of the above expenses , the golden rule is that you can ’ t make a claim unless you can prove you spent the money ( and also that you weren ’ t reimbursed by your employer ). So , make sure you keep all relevant receipts , invoices , bank statements and credit card statements . If you ’ re not sure if you can make a claim , keep the receipt anyway and discuss it with your tax agent .
Mark Chapman is the Director of Tax Communications at H & R Block . A Chartered Accountant , CPA and Chartered Tax Adviser , he holds a Masters of Tax Law from the University of NSW . Mark also spent seven years as a Senior Director with the Australian Taxation Office .
36 | NETWORK WINTER 2018