Did you receive income for personal services you provided as a sole trader?
Personal services income (PSI) is income that is mainly a reward for an individual's personal efforts or skills. If more than 50% of the income you receive under a contract is for your personal efforts or skills, then all income from that contract is PSI. If 50% or less of the income you receive under a contract is for your personal efforts or skills, then none of the income for that contract is PSI.
Examples of PSI are:
- income you receive under a contract which is wholly or mainly for your labour or services
- income of a professional practitioner in a sole practice
- income of a professional sportsperson or entertainer for their professional skills
- income of a consultant for their personal expertise.
Your PSI includes payments under a contract that is mainly for your personal efforts or skills and that you receive:
- under a pay as you go (PAYG) voluntary agreement; or
- because you provide a service but do not quote your Australian business number (ABN) and have an amount withheld; or
- under a labour hire arrangement as an independent contractor; or
- because you provide
- tutorial services for the Indigenous Student Success Programme (formerly known as the Indigenous Tutorial Assistance Scheme) of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet
- translation and interpretation services for the Translating and Interpreting Service National of the Department of Home Affairs
- services as a performing artist in a promotional activity.
The payments are PSI even if tax has already been withheld from these amounts.
Your PSI does not include income that is mainly:
- for supplying or selling goods, for example, from retailing, wholesaling or manufacturing
- generated by an income-producing asset, for example, from contracting to provide a bulldozer
- for granting a right to use property, for example, the copyright to a computer program
- generated by a business structure, for example, a large accounting firm.
You can read Income that is not PSI for more information, including:
- how to work out whether your income is personal services income
- examples of personal services income
- PSI taxation rulings.
No |
Go to question 15 Net income or loss from business 2022, or return to main menu Individual tax return instructions 2022. |
Yes |
You should lodge your tax return using myTax or a registered tax agent. If you are unable to use myTax or a registered tax agent, contact us on 13 28 66 and we will mail you a paper tax return and Business and professional items schedule. |
You need to know
There are special rules for the tax treatment of personal services income earned by sole traders, including contractors and consultants, commonly known as the PSI rules. If you had personal services income as a sole trader and you were subject to the PSI rules, you will not be able to claim certain deductions, for example, rent, mortgage interest, rates or land tax for your home, or payments to your spouse (or other associate) for support work such as secretarial duties.
You will be subject to the PSI rules if you were not conducting a personal services business.
You need to read the publication Business and professional items 2022 before you can complete this item.
Business and professional items 2022 will help you complete your Business and professional items schedule for individuals 2022 and the Individual PAYG payment summary schedule 2022.
What you may need
- Personal services income tool This tool will help you decide whether you were conducting a personal services business. It also tells you how to get more information about personal services income issues.
- Taxation Ruling TR 2001/7 Income tax: the meaning of personal services income
- Taxation Ruling TR 2001/8 Income tax: what is a personal services business
- Taxation Ruling TR 2003/6 Income tax: attribution of personal services income
- Taxation Ruling TR 2003/10 Income tax: deductions that relate to personal services income
Completing this item
Part A
Business and professional items section and Individual PAYG payment summary schedule 2022
Step 1
Complete the Business and professional items section.
Step 2
If you received personal services income from which tax was withheld, complete the Individual PAYG payment summary schedule.
Did you write an amount at A item P1 on your Business and professional items schedule for individuals 2022?
No |
Go to question 15 Net income or loss from business 2022, or return to main menu Individual tax return instructions 2022. |
Yes |
Read on. |
Part B
Net personal services income
Step 1
Transfer your net personal services income or loss shown at A item P1 in the Business and professional items section to A item 14 on the tax return. Do not show cents.
Step 2
If you made a loss, print L in the LOSS box at the right of A.
Step 3
If you made a loss from one or more business activities, check that you have completed items P3 and P9 in the Business and professional items section.
If you carried on a business as an author, dramatic artist, musician, artist, inventor, performing artist, production associate or active sportsperson, you must also write the amount of income you received from these business activities at Z item 24 Other income 2022. You will not be taxed twice on this income.
Part C
Tax withheld from personal services income
Did you include an amount at M, N or O item P1 in the Business and professional items section?
No |
Go to Check that you have... |
Yes |
Read on. |
Did you have amounts of tax withheld under a pay as you go (PAYG) voluntary agreement?
No |
Go to the next question. |
Yes |
Read on. |
Add up all the amounts on your Individual PAYG payment summary schedule 2022 at the Tax withheld boxes with a V in the TYPE box. These amounts must relate to the payments shown at M item P1 in the Business and professional items section.
Write this amount at G item 14 on the tax return. Do not show cents.
Did you have amounts of tax withheld because you did not quote your Australian business number?
No |
Go to the next question. |
Yes |
Read on. |
Add up all the amounts on your Individual PAYG payment summary schedule 2022 at the Tax withheld boxes with an N in the TYPE box. These amounts must relate to the payments shown at N item P1 in the Business and professional items section.
Write this amount at H item 14 on the tax return. Do not show cents.
Did you have amounts of tax withheld because you received personal services income from:
- working under a labour hire arrangement, or
- a specified payment?
No |
Go to Check that you have... |
Yes |
Read on. |
Add up all the amounts on your Individual PAYG payment summary schedule 2022 at the Tax withheld boxes with an S in the TYPE box. These amounts must relate to the payments shown at O item P1 in the Business and professional items section.
Write this amount at J item 14 on the tax return. Do not show cents.
Check that you have...
- completed the Business and professional items section of the tax return
- transferred the amount from A item P1 in the Business and professional items section to A item 14 on the tax return. If this amount is a loss, print L in the LOSS box at the right of A.
If you received personal services income from which tax was withheld, also check that you have:
- completed your Individual PAYG payment summary schedule 2022 and attached it to page 3 of the tax return
- written amounts at G, H and J item 14, if required.
Where to go next
- Go to question 15 Net income or loss from business 2022.
- Return to main menu Individual tax return instructions 2022.
- Go back to question 13 Partnerships and trusts 2022.