ATO announces $20,000 instant asset write-off

The ATO has extended the $20,000 threshold to 30 June 2019.

If you buy an asset and it costs less than $20,000, you may write off the business portion in your tax return.

To be eligible to use the simplified depreciation rules and claim an immediate deduction for the business portion of each asset costing less than $20,000, you must:

• Have a business turnover less than $10 million (increased $2 million on 1 July 2016)
• The asset was first used or installed ready for use in the income year you are claiming it in.

If your asset costs more than $20,000, you are not eligible for immediate deduction. They will continue to be deducted over time using the general small business pool. You can write off the balance of this pool if the balance (before applying any other depreciation deduction) is less than $20,000 at the end of an income year.

The $20,000 threshold applies from 12 May 2015 to 30 June 2019 and reduces to $1,000 on 1 July 2019. Remember, registered tax agents and BAS agents can help you with your tax.

Choosing the right super risk profile

Choosing the right super risk profile at the right time can drastically increase your retirement savings.

The following considerations will help you invest wisely when it comes to building your retirement nest egg.

Types of investment options
Your super fund should offer a range of investment options to consider. Here is what to know about each kind of option:

• Aggressive options are high risk, and you may have to sustain significant losses hoping to maximise your return in the long-term
• Growth options aiming for higher returns over longer terms may sustain some losses in poorly performing markets
• Balanced options provide moderate growth but endure less damage with an economic downturn
• Conservative options provide a lower return but are the lowest risk option

Picking the right option
The investment option right for you depends on your retirement goals, your financial circumstances and your attitude towards risk. Your timeframe for investment should be substantial if you are looking at high-risk options as you have a considerable opportunity to recover from any losses. As your income stabilises and your retirement comes closer consider shifting to a low-risk alternative to secure what you have built up. You may also want to look to your assets like your business or various properties that may also help you fund your retirement when assessing if you can afford to take a risk.

Claiming tax when working from home

The ATO is seeking to increase their attention on home office expenses due to the high level of questionable claims made by taxpayers. There has been an increase in the number of Australians claiming deductions for costs incurred from working from home.

The ATO reports that in the last tax year 6.7 million taxpayers claimed a record $7.9 billion in deductions for ‘other work-related expenses’, including expenses relating to working from home.

The main mistakes stem from individuals claiming the whole instead of the work-related portion of expenses for bills related to phone, internet, printing and stationery.

The ATO has identified that a separate work area will incur work-related expenses eligible for tax deductions as opposed to answering some emails at a kitchen bench. The ATO has also recommended recording expenses in case of an audit or if the ATO contacts your employer to confirm your claim.

To ensure you do not suffer non-compliance penalties, the ATO recommends you follow the three golden rules for taxpayers working from home. One- you must have spent the money yourself and not been reimbursed, two- the claim must be directly related to earning your income, and three- you need a record to prove it.

3 easy ways to maximise your super

Superannuation is more critical than it has ever been. If having an ageing population has taught us anything, it is how managing money now can have substantial ramifications for your retirement plan.

Merge your super
Every super account you have comes with a set of fees. It is worth your while chasing down inactive accounts and putting all your super into the one account to reduce fees and maximise the investment benefits.

Salary sacrifice
If you can budget putting more of your salary away into a super account every month, you can reap multiple rewards. First, you can use the extra super payments to offset your pre-tax payments up to the current concessional contribution cap of $30,000 per year and after-tax contributions of $180,000. You can also build up your super while you can afford to.

Strategise
Your investment strategy should depend on the amount of risk you are willing to take. This will vary on where you are in your career. A growth investment option, which is high risk, might suit you if you are in the early stages of your career development. However, as your income stabilises to your goal amount, it might be wise to change super funds to a lower risk option that will protect your growing retirement nest egg.

ATO developing software to stop tax avoidance

The ATO is in the midst of developing advanced data programs to find individuals who are leaving a source of income out of their tax return. Analytical tools have been developed to utilise the amount of data the ATO receives to identify instances where income has gone unreported. This is to address the annual $1.4 billion tax shortfall caused by individuals who leave income out of their return.

The ATO has identified that the most common mistakes are made by taxpayers leaving out cash wages. There are also issues with the non-disclosure of income from second jobs, capital gains on cryptocurrency, the sharing economy, the gig economy and foreign-sourced income.

Concerning foreign sourced income, the ATO has identified that most funds come from the UK, USA, China, Switzerland, Hong Kong, New Zealand and Singapore. In response to this, the ATO is developing a single global standard for collection, reporting and exchange of financial account information on foreign tax residents.

The ATO imposes penalties and interest for a failure to disclose an accurate statement of income tax. The penalties can range from 25 per cent up to 75 per cent of the shortfall, in addition to paying the money owed.

Paying super to different visas

Normally employers have to pay a worker super. However, this becomes confusing with the different visas that employees might be on. Some rules are listed below.

Paying super to temporary residents
Temporary residents working in Australia are eligible for super guarantee. When temporary residents leave Australia, they can claim the super paid as a departing Australia superannuation payment (DASP). This is provided that they meet the requirements where you must:

• Be 18 years old or over (if you are under 18 you must meet the above conditions and work over 30 hours per week to be entitled to SG) and,
• Paid $450 or more before tax in a month.

Employees working overseas
An employee sent to work overseas must be paid superannuation by their employer. The other country may require the employer or employee to pay super there as well if Australia does not have a bilateral agreement with that country. To gain exemption from the super payment in the other country, the employer needs to show the authorities in the other country a certificate of coverage gained from the ATO.

Employees not eligible for super

• Non-resident employees, you pay for work they do outside Australia
• Some foreign executives who hold certain visas for entry permits
• Employees temporarily working in Australia who are covered by a bilateral super agreement. You must keep a copy of the employee’s certificate of coverage to verify this arrangement.

Authorisations for Single Touch Payroll

On the 1 July 2018, the Australian Government introduced Single Touch Payroll (STP) for employers with 20 or more employees. The new scheme requires employers to report payment activities each time employees were paid. Authorisations for an agent to act on behalf of an employer to streamline the process of STP are provided below.

STP Engagement Authority
If a registered agent reports through STP for an employer, they can get written authorisation to make this declaration through an annual agreement. This authorisation will allow the registered agent to make the relevant declaration to the Commissioner when they lodge an STP at each pay event. Both parties should have a copy for their records although there is no need to provide a copy to the ATO

The agreement should include:

• An outline of the responsibilities of both parties
• Agreed terms of the employer’s collation of payroll
• Their process for calculating and paying their employees
• Taxation and superannuation obligations

Eligibility for the Authority
For eligibility to provide an agent with the powers given above regarding STP, the employer must not:

• Have any overdue activity statement lodgements
• Have any outstanding debts, unless they are covered by a payment arrangement or subject to review
• Currently be or have been the subject of ATO compliance activity for PAYG withholding in the last two years

Exclusions
The STP engagement authority does not apply to the other approved forms or finalisation declaration. A registered agent must still obtain a signed declaration in writing from an employer before making the finalisation declaration on behalf of the employer at the end of the financial year.

Changes to FBT for Utes

The Australian Tax Office (ATO) has released draft guidelines changing its previous stance on Fringe Benefits Tax (FBT) for utes. Amendments originated from reports that dodgy tax returns were responsible for a loss of $8.7 billion in income tax due to wrongful claims. Failure to comply with new requirements listed below may result in a 20 percent FBT imposed on the cost of the vehicle.

The requirement of a logbook
New rules require employers to ensure their workers using these vehicles keep detailed logbooks. Whether the logbooks are electronic or hard copy, it is vital that the process be effective for returns lodged in the 2019 FBT year, when the law takes effect. Employers receive confirmation via email from employees using the vehicles at the end of the 2019 FBT year with their logbook including all regulated diversions and private use.

Diversions and private use rules
The guidelines introduce capped limits for the log books to comply with. Professional travel means that the vehicle must not deviate more than 2km from its usual route. However, 1000 km of non-work related travel is allowed, provided that there is no single trip exceeding 200 km. Such regulations provide greater flexibility than previous guidelines. What the ATO deems “minor” or “irregular trips” like carpooling the children to and from school or an occasional trip to visit relatives will not render you non-compliant so long as it is recorded as non-professional use.

Employer super obligations reminder

The Australian Tax Office (ATO) is reminding employers to check they are meeting their obligations when it comes to paying super to their workers.

To help you make sure you are meeting your requirements, consider this checklist:

• Are you paying the correct amount?

You are required to pay a minimum of 9.5 per cent of their ordinary time earnings to their superannuation fund.

• Are you keeping correct and up-to-date records?

It is important to maintain accurate record-keeping procedures, so you have evidence to prove you have been meeting your employer super obligations.

• Are you paying super to all eligible workers?

Like your employees, some contractors you hire may also be eligible for super contributions.

• Are you making payments to the right fund?

Unless a worker has not provided their details, you should be paying into their fund of choice instead of your default fund.

• Are you making payments on time?

The ATO allows employers to make contributions quarterly. Always ensure you make payments on time as late payments can incur a superannuation guarantee charge, which is not tax deductible. When making payments on time, they are tax deductible against your business income.

• Are you paying the right way?

It is important to send the payment and data electronically in a standard format (paying the SuperStream way). Your business may also be eligible to use the free Small Business Super Clearing House to distribute payments to your employees’ super funds.

Income tax return: what to report

The time to report and lodge your annual tax return for your business is fast approaching. Remember, what you must report will depend upon the type of business entity you have.

Sole traders
As a sole trader, you are required to lodge a tax return even if your income is below the tax-free threshold. This will include:
– tax return for individuals including the supplementary section
– business and professional items schedule for individuals.

You must report:
– The business income minus the business deductions you are eligible to claim.
– The other income like wages and salary (from a payment summary), rental income and dividends, minus deductions against this income.

Partnerships and partners
The partnership must lodge a partnership tax return. This will include the partnership’s net income (assessable income less allowable expenses and deductions).

The ATO does not require the partnership to pay tax on the income it earns. Rather, every partner must pay tax on the share of net partnership income you each receive.

For you (as an individual partner) you must report:
– Your share of the partnership net income or loss.
– Any other assessable income like wages and salary (shown on a payment summary), dividends and rental income.

Trusts and Beneficiaries
When you operate your business through a trust, the trustee will be required to lodge a trust tax return. The trust reports its net income or loss (the trust’s assessable income minus deductions).
Each trust beneficiary must lodge their tax return, i.e., an individual or company tax return.

As a beneficiary of a trust, you must report:
– Income received from the trust.
– Other assessable income including dividends, salary and wages (on an individual’s payment summary), and rental income.

Companies
You must lodge a company tax return. The company is required to report its taxable income, tax offsets and credits, PAYG instalments and the amount of tax it is required to pay on that income or the amount that is refundable. Your personal income is kept separate from the company’s income.

With deregistered companies – ensure you lodge a final company tax return before it is deregistered by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC). The ATO will be unable to process a company tax return if the company is deregistered.