Personal & Home Services · Brisbane
Accountants for Private Tutors
A few students after school, or a centre with staff and a lease — the tax questions change completely between the two.
Do I need to declare tutoring income?
Yes. Income from tutoring is assessable whether it's paid in cash, through a platform, or via a centre — and there's no minimum threshold below which it stops being income. What changes with scale is the surrounding obligations: an ABN and business records, GST registration once turnover reaches $75,000 (note most private tutoring is taxable, unlike some formal courses delivered by registered training providers), and PAYG instalments once your tax on business income becomes material.
- Specialist support for tutors and education providers
- Fixed monthly packages from $220
- BAS, payroll and year-end handled together
- Benchmarked against ATO industry figures
What we watch
What matters most for tutors and education providers.
Cash income still counts
Bank deposits, platform records and even messaging apps are all traceable. Declaring properly and claiming deductions is almost always the better outcome.
Home teaching space
A dedicated teaching room can support an apportioned claim, but claiming occupancy costs can affect your main residence CGT exemption — worth understanding first.
GST once you're a centre
Registration at $75,000, with careful attention to which education supplies are GST-free and which aren't.
Employing tutors
Once you engage other tutors, payroll, super and possibly the education award apply.
Deductions
Private Tutors — what you can claim.
A working checklist we go through with every client in this sector. Substantiation requirements differ by item — we'll tell you which need records and which don't.
- Teaching resources, books and materials
- Laptop, tablet and software subscriptions
- Travel between students' homes
- Platform commissions and booking fees
- Advertising and website costs
- Working with children checks and registration
- Professional development and courses
- Home office or teaching space apportionment
- Insurance and professional memberships
How we help
Services tutors and education providers use most.
Tax Returns
Individual and business returns prepared accurately, lodged fast, with every deduction claimed.
Learn more →Tax Planning
Year-round planning that lowers your tax bill before 30 June — not after it.
Learn more →Business Accounting
Bookkeeping, BAS, payroll and management reporting handled end to end.
Learn more →Self-Managed Super (SMSF)
SMSF setup, administration, compliance and audit coordination in one place.
Learn more →Business Advisory
Structuring, cash-flow forecasting, growth strategy and succession planning.
Learn more →Financial Reporting
Clear statutory and management accounts you can actually make decisions from.
Learn more →FAQ
Private Tutors — questions we're asked most.
Is my tutoring a hobby?
If you charge, advertise, take repeat students and intend to profit, it's a business — regardless of size. Hobby classification is narrow and misused. The upside of business treatment is that expenses become deductible, which for most tutors is worth more than the paperwork costs.
Is tutoring GST-free?
Generally no. GST-free education applies to specific courses delivered by recognised providers; private tutoring is usually a taxable supply. That only matters once you're registered — compulsory at $75,000 turnover, optional below it.
Can I claim travel to students' homes?
Yes, travel between teaching engagements is generally deductible. If you teach from home and travel out, the first trip from home can be claimable where home is your genuine base of operations — a fact-dependent question we'll work through with you.
What if I've never declared tutoring income?
Amend or voluntarily disclose. It's far cheaper than being data-matched from platform records or bank deposits, and penalties for voluntary disclosure are substantially reduced. We handle these regularly and without drama.
Related
Related pages.
Accountants for Home Businesses
Specialist tax and accounting support for Brisbane home businesses.
Learn more →Accountants for Contractors
Specialist tax and accounting support for Brisbane contractors.
Learn more →Personal Tax Return Accountant Brisbane
PAYG & individual returns
Learn more →Small Business Accountant Brisbane
Sole traders to companies
Learn more →Local coverage across Brisbane
We work in person from our Wakerley office and by secure video across 200 suburbs. Start with your region:
- Accountants Brisbane CPA accountants for the wider Brisbane metro area.
- Accountants South Brisbane South Brisbane, West End, Annerley and Sunnybank.
- Accountants Brisbane Northside Chermside, Stafford, Aspley and the northern corridor.
- Accountants Brisbane Bayside Wynnum, Manly, Wakerley and Tingalpa.
- Accountants Redland City Cleveland, Capalaba, Victoria Point and the bay islands.
- Accountants Logan City Springwood, Beenleigh, Browns Plains and 50 Logan suburbs.
- Accountants Ipswich Ipswich CBD and the western Brisbane corridor.
Ready when you are
Accountants for private tutors — let's talk.
Free 15-minute consultation, fixed monthly fee, and an accountant who already knows your sector.