Teachers can claim tax deductions for expenses that directly relate to earning their income, that they paid for themselves and were not reimbursed for, and that they can prove with a record. Common teacher tax deductions include teaching supplies, registration and union fees, self-education, working from home (at the ATO rate of 70 cents per hour for 2025-26) and eligible car travel (at 88 cents per kilometre). Ordinary trips between home and school are not deductible.
Tax time rolls around every year, and every year teachers leave money on the table by missing legitimate deductions, or create headaches by claiming things the ATO rules out. This guide covers the main deduction categories for teachers, the current 2025-26 rates, and the records you need to keep. Figures link to the ATO source they come from.
What are the three rules for claiming a teacher tax deduction?
The ATO’s occupation guide for teachers and education professionals applies three tests to every claim:
- You spent the money yourself and were not reimbursed by your school or employer.
- The expense directly relates to earning your teaching income.
- You have a record to prove it, usually a receipt.
If an expense covers both work and private use, such as a laptop used for lesson planning and streaming, you can only claim the work-related portion.
What can teachers claim on tax? Category by category
Teaching supplies and classroom resources
Stationery, classroom materials, prizes and teaching aids you bought yourself are deductible, along with work-related books, journals and subscriptions to teaching resource platforms. Casual teachers who bring their own kit from school to school tend to accumulate more of these costs than permanent staff, so keep every receipt.
Registration, accreditation and union fees
Annual teacher registration and accreditation renewal fees are deductible because you cannot earn teaching income without them. Union and professional association membership fees are also claimable. Working with children check costs are treated differently: see the table below.
Self-education and professional development
Courses that maintain or improve the skills you use in your current teaching role are deductible, including accredited PD in areas like literacy, numeracy, sports coaching or leadership. This covers course fees, textbooks and travel to attend. Study designed to move you into a different career is excluded. The full rules are on the ATO’s self-education expenses page.
Working from home
Marking, lesson planning and report writing at home count as work from home. Under the ATO’s fixed rate method, you claim 70 cents per hour worked from home in 2025-26. The rate bundles electricity and gas, phone and internet usage, stationery and computer consumables, so you cannot claim those separately on top. You can claim the decline in value of a work desk, chair or computer in addition to the hourly rate. Two records are required: a log of your actual hours across the whole year (an estimate is not accepted) and at least one bill or receipt for each expense type the rate covers.
Car and travel expenses
Ordinary trips between home and your regular school are private travel and cannot be claimed, however early you start. Deductible trips include travel between two schools on the same day, travel to PD events, and transporting students to excursions or sport in your own car.
For eligible trips, the cents per kilometre method pays 88 cents per kilometre for 2025-26, up to 5,000 work-related kilometres per car (a maximum deduction of $4,400). The rate covers fuel, registration, insurance, servicing and depreciation, so nothing extra can be claimed on top. You do not need receipts, but you must be able to show how you calculated your kilometres, such as a diary of trips. If you drive more than 5,000 work kilometres, the logbook method lets you claim a work-use percentage of actual costs, based on a logbook kept for at least 12 continuous weeks.
Clothing and laundry
Conventional clothing is not deductible, even if your school has a dress code. You can claim compulsory uniform items with a school logo, protective items like a sun hat and sunscreen for playground duty or sports carnivals, and the laundry costs for eligible clothing.
Equipment and depreciation
Work-related equipment costing $300 or less can be claimed in full in the year you buy it. Items over $300, such as a laptop, are claimed as decline in value over the life of the asset, apportioned for private use.
What can teachers claim and not claim? Quick reference table
| Category | Claimable | Not claimable |
|---|---|---|
| Supplies | Classroom resources, stationery, teaching aids you paid for | Anything your school reimbursed |
| Fees | Registration and accreditation renewals, union fees | Initial working with children check for a new job |
| Self-education | PD and courses tied to your current role | Study to move into a different career |
| Working from home | 70c per hour (2025-26) plus depreciation on office furniture and tech | Separate claims for phone, internet or power on top of the fixed rate |
| Car | Travel between schools, excursion transport, PD travel at 88c/km | Home to your regular school, even with early starts |
| Clothing | Logo uniforms, sun protection for outdoor duty, laundry of eligible items | Everyday clothes worn to work |
| Equipment | Items $300 or under in full; over $300 as depreciation | The private-use portion of any device |
Source: ATO teachers and education professionals guide.
How should teachers keep records for tax?
The ATO requires records for five years from the date you lodge. Four habits make this painless:
- One folder, kept all year. A cloud folder (Google Drive or similar) on your phone means every receipt gets photographed and filed the day you get it.
- Use the ATO’s myDeductions tool. The free tool inside the ATO app records expenses, trips and photos of receipts, and pre-fills your return at tax time.
- Log working-from-home hours as you go. A running diary or timesheet is mandatory for the fixed rate method. Reconstructed estimates in June are not accepted.
- Track trips between schools. Casual teachers working across multiple schools in a day often have legitimate kilometre claims. A quick note of date, route and distance is enough evidence.
Working casual across several schools also means several payment summaries. If you are new to relief teaching, our guides to casual teaching in NSW and relief teaching in QLD cover how pay and employment work in each state, and our teacher resume template helps if you are lining up more schools for next term.
Should teachers use an accountant?
A registered tax agent costs money up front, and their fee is itself deductible next year. For teachers with straightforward affairs, lodging through myTax with good records is manageable. If you work across multiple schools, claim significant car travel, or have income outside teaching, an agent will usually find more than they cost and keeps you on the right side of the ATO.
This article is general information only, not financial advice. Tax outcomes depend on your circumstances, so check the linked ATO pages or speak to a registered tax agent before lodging.
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Create Teacher ProfileFAQs: Tax for Teachers
Very little. The cents per kilometre method needs no receipts, only a record showing how you worked out your work-related kilometres. For most other claims the ATO expects written evidence, so photograph receipts as you get them and keep them for five years.
Yes. Marking, planning and report writing at home are claimable under the ATO fixed rate method at 70 cents per hour for 2025-26, provided you keep a record of your actual hours for the full year.
No. Trips between home and your regular school are private travel. You can claim travel between two schools on the same day, travel to PD, and transporting students or bulky sports equipment in your own car, at 88 cents per kilometre in 2025-26.
Only in limited cases: compulsory uniform items with a school logo, protective clothing such as a sun hat and sunscreen for outdoor duty, and laundry of those eligible items. Everyday clothing is excluded even if your school requires a dress standard.
Yes, when the course maintains or improves skills you use in your current role. Course fees, textbooks and related travel are deductible. Courses designed to open a new career path outside your current employment are excluded.
