Occupation guide · Reviewed 17 August 2026
Tax deductions for teachers
What teachers and education staff can legitimately claim, what the ATO routinely disallows, and the records that make the difference at review time.
What can teachers and education staff claim on tax?
Teachers can claim classroom resources bought from your own pocket, teacher registration, union and professional association fees, professional development, excursion and camp costs you weren't reimbursed for, home marking and planning costs at the 70c fixed rate, work-related phone and internet, technology used for teaching, and self-education relevant to your current role. What isn't claimable: home-to-school travel, everyday clothing, and expenses your school reimbursed.
- Occupation-specific checklist below
- Written evidence needed above $300 total
- We ask from the right list, not “anything else?”
- Returns prepared within 48 hours
Claimable
What you can claim.
- Classroom supplies, books and teaching resources
- Queensland College of Teachers registration
- Union and professional association fees
- Professional development, courses and conferences
- Excursion, camp and sports carnival costs not reimbursed
- Home office hours for marking and planning (70c/hr)
- Laptop, tablet and printer at work-use percentage
- Subscriptions to teaching journals and resource sites
- Music, sports or art equipment used in teaching
- Travel between two schools in the same day
- Work-related phone and internet use
- Protective clothing for science, manual arts or sport
What the ATO disallows
- Home to school travel
- Everyday clothes, even if a dress code applies
- Study for a qualification to enter teaching
- Costs your school reimbursed or paid directly
- Personal grooming and self-care
- Childcare during work hours
- Parking at your regular school
Claiming these is the fastest route to an amended assessment and a shortfall penalty. If you’ve claimed them before, we can review prior years.
Records
What to keep.
Written evidence is required once your total work-related claims exceed $300 — and for vehicles, home office and laundry there are specific record rules regardless of amount.
- Receipts or invoices for every claim once the $300 total is passed
- A vehicle log book — 12 consecutive weeks, valid five years
- Home-office hours recorded for the full year at the 70c rate
- A diary basis for phone and internet work-use percentages
- Your income statement and any allowance details
FAQ
Questions from teachers and education staff.
Can I claim resources I buy for my classroom?
Yes, where you paid for them and weren't reimbursed — books, stationery, art supplies, prizes and teaching aids. Keep receipts; this is the largest and most commonly under-claimed category for teachers, and it adds up faster than most people record.
Can I claim working from home for marking?
Yes. Use the 70c fixed rate against the actual hours you work at home, recorded for the whole year, or the actual cost method if you have a dedicated study. Both are covered in our WFH guide.
Are school camps deductible?
Costs you personally incur attending a school camp or excursion in your capacity as a teacher — and aren't reimbursed for — are generally deductible. Reimbursed costs aren't, and neither is the private component if you extend the trip.
Can I claim my laptop?
Yes, at your work-use percentage. Under $300 and used for work, generally claim it immediately; more expensive and you depreciate it over its effective life. A 70% work-use claim on a shared family laptop is credible; 100% usually isn't.
Related
Related pages.
Personal tax returns from $150
Occupation-specific deduction checklists, prepared in 48 hours.
Learn more →Work from home deductions
The 70c fixed rate against actual cost, with worked examples.
Learn more →Vehicle claim calculator
Log book versus cents per kilometre on your own numbers.
Learn more →Other occupation guides
Ready when you are
Get every deduction you’re entitled to.
Returns from $150, prepared within 48 hours, by accountants who work from an occupation checklist rather than guesswork.