ATO Extension of Home Office Claim
For many Australian workers, COVID-19 has meant abandoning the daily commute and working from home. In response, the ATO has announced a temporary simplified short cut method to make it easier for individual taxpayers to claim deductions for additional running expenses incurred (e.g. heating, cooling, lighting, equipment, internet costs), as a result of working from home.
Eligible individuals will be able to claim a deduction for all running expenses incurred during the period 1 March 2020 to 30 June 2020, based on a rate of 80 cents for each hour an individual carries out genuine work duties from home. This is an alternative method to claiming home office expenses under existing arrangements, which generally require an analysis of specific running expenses incurred and more onerous record-keeping.
