Amounts you do or don't include
You must include all the income you receive as a paramedic during the income year in your tax return, this includes:
- salary and wages, including cash or bonus payments
- allowances
- compensation and insurance payments – for example, payments made under an income protection insurance policy to replace salary and wages.
Don't include as income any reimbursements you receive.
Your income statement or payment summary will show all your salary, wages and allowances for the income year.
Allowances
You must include all allowances your employer reports on your income statement or payment summary as income in your tax return.
An allowance is where your employer pays you an amount as an estimate of costs you might incur:
- to help you pay for a work expense – for example, tools and equipment
- as compensation for an aspect of your work such as working conditions or industry peculiarities – for example, being on call
- as an amount for having special duties, skills or qualifications – for example, first aid qualifications.
Your employer may not include some allowances on your income statement or payment summary. Find out about declaring income and claiming deductions for Allowances not on your income statement or payment summary.
Allowances not on your income statement or payment summary
If you receive an allowance from your employer, it does not automatically mean you can claim a deduction.
Your employer may not include some allowances on your income statement or payment summary, you will find these amounts on your payslip. You don't need to declare these allowances as income in your tax return, unless you're claiming a deduction. Examples include travel allowances and overtime meal allowances.
If you spend the allowance amount on work expenses, you:
- don't include it as income in your tax return
- can't claim any deductions for the work expenses the allowance covers.
If you're not claiming a deduction, you don't need to keep any records of the amounts you spend.
If you spend your allowance on a deductible work-related expense, to claim a deduction you:
- include the allowance as income in your tax return
- include a claim for the work expenses you incur in your tax return
- must have records of your expenses.
If you can claim a deduction, the amount of the deduction is not usually the same amount as the allowance you receive.
Living away from home allowance
If you receive a living away from home allowance, for working away from your usual station for an extended period, the amount of the allowance isn't included as income in your tax return.
Living away from home allowances are fringe benefits which are non-assessable, non-exempt income. As a living away from home allowance isn't assessable and expenses you incur on accommodation and meals while you are living away from home are private, you can't claim a deduction for those expenses.
Allowances and claiming a deduction
The following table sets out allowances you may receive and when you can claim a deduction.
Reason for allowance | Example of allowance type | Deduction (Yes or No) |
|---|---|---|
Compensation for an aspect of your work that is unpleasant, special or dangerous or for industry peculiarities | Operational crewing allowance Shift allowance | No These allowances don't help you pay for deductible work-related expenses |
An amount for certain expenses | Uniform and protective clothing allowance | Yes If you incur deductible expenses |
An amount for special skills | A first aid certificate | Yes If you incur deductible expenses |
Example: allowance assessable no deduction allowable
Susan is a paramedic who holds a Graduate Diploma of Health Science. Susan's employer pays her a weekly paramedic skills allowance for having this qualification.
At the end of the income year, the total paramedic skills allowance is shown on Susan's income statement.
Susan must include the paramedic skills allowance as income in her tax return.
Susan can't claim a deduction because the allowance compensates Susan for holding a particular qualification. It is not to help pay for any work-related expenses Susan might incur.
End of example
Example: allowance assessable, deduction allowable
Bronwyn is a paramedic. During the income year, Bronwyn uses her own car to travel:
- from her home or the station to the regional training centre to attend training
- to attend meetings at other stations.
Bronwyn's employer pays her 80c per kilometre when she uses her car for work purposes. At the end of the year, her income statement shows she was paid an allowance of $278 for using her car for work (320 kms × $0.87 = $278).
Bronwyn must include the car allowance as income in her tax return.
Bronwyn can claim a deduction for the cost of using her car for work purposes. She can't claim the amount of the allowance she receives. Bronwyn must calculate the amount of the deduction using the records she keeps whenever she uses her own car for work purposes.
In the past year Bronwyn has kept a record of the work trips she did using her own car, but she doesn't keep a logbook. Her records show she travelled 320 kms for work purposes.
As Bronwyn has not kept a logbook, she uses the cents per kilometre method to claim a deduction. The cents per kilometre method rate for the income year is 85c per kilometre.
Bronwyn claims a deduction of $272. Bronwyn calculates her deduction as 320 kms × $0.85 = $272.
End of exampleReimbursements
If your employer pays you the exact amount for expenses you incur either before or after you incur them, the payment is a reimbursement.
A reimbursement isn't an allowance.
If your employer reimburses you for expenses you incur:
- you don't include the reimbursement as income in your tax return
- you can't claim a deduction for the expenses.
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