Trades & Construction · Brisbane
Accountants for Tradies
Sparkies, plumbers, chippies, landscapers — a ute, a phone full of receipts and no time. We make the bookkeeping automatic and the deductions complete.
What can tradies claim on tax?
Tools and equipment, vehicle running costs (log book or cents-per-kilometre up to 5,000km), travel between job sites, protective clothing and laundry, licences and tickets, phone and internet on a work-use percentage, home office for quoting and invoicing, subcontractor payments, insurance and industry association fees. What's not claimable: travel from home to a fixed workplace, ordinary clothing, and any private portion — which is why the log book matters.
- Specialist support for tradespeople
- Fixed monthly packages from $220
- BAS, payroll and year-end handled together
- Benchmarked against ATO industry figures
Running a trade business, or working for one?
The tax questions are completely different depending on which side you're on.
- I run the business — you're here ABN, GST, BAS, subbies, TPAR, structure and the ute — business compliance and advice.
- I'm employed as a tradie What a wage-earning tradesperson can claim, what's disallowed, and the records needed.
What we watch
What matters most for tradespeople.
The log book earns thousands
Twelve consecutive weeks of records, valid for five years. Without it you're capped at 5,000km — usually a much smaller claim for a working tradie.
Structure as you grow
Sole trader is fine at the start. Once profits and liability grow, a company or trust often saves more than it costs — including asset protection.
Subbies, super and TPAR
Contractor versus employee, super on labour-only contracts, and annual taxable payments reporting.
Cash flow around BAS
Quarterly GST and PAYG hits hard when it isn't set aside. We build a simple set-aside rhythm that prevents the scramble.
Deductions
Tradies — 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.
- Tools and equipment (immediate write-off where eligible)
- Ute or van running costs with a log book
- Travel between multiple sites in a day
- Protective clothing, boots and laundry
- Trade licences, tickets and renewals
- Phone, tablet and internet on work-use percentage
- Union and industry association fees
- Subcontractor and labour costs
- Income protection premiums (held personally)
How we help
Services tradespeople 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
Tradies — questions we're asked most.
Can I claim driving from home to the job?
Generally no if it's a regular fixed workplace. Yes when you're travelling between two work sites in a day, carrying bulky tools that can't be left securely on site, or travelling from home to an alternative site rather than your usual base. The distinction is fact-specific and worth getting right, because vehicle claims are heavily reviewed.
Should I register for GST?
Compulsory once turnover reaches $75,000, and often sensible before that if your customers are businesses and you're buying tools and materials — you claim the GST back. If you work mainly for households and buy little, staying under can keep your prices lower. Once registered, you're locked into BAS cycles, so decide deliberately.
Company, trust or sole trader?
Sole trader while profits are modest. Consider a company once profits consistently exceed what you draw (retained profits taxed at 25% instead of your marginal rate) or once liability exposure grows. Trusts suit family arrangements with flexible distributions. We model your actual numbers rather than guessing.
What's the easiest way to keep records?
Photograph receipts into your accounting app the day you get them, run a dedicated business bank account and card, and use the ATO's log book or a GPS app for twelve weeks. That's genuinely most of it — and it turns the annual return from an excavation into a review.
Related
Related pages.
Accountants for Builders
Specialist tax and accounting support for Brisbane builders.
Learn more →Accountants for Contractors
Specialist tax and accounting support for Brisbane contractors.
Learn more →Small Business Accountant Brisbane
Sole traders to companies
Learn more →Business Accounting
Bookkeeping, BAS, payroll and management reporting handled end to end.
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 tradies — let's talk.
Free 15-minute consultation, fixed monthly fee, and an accountant who already knows your sector.