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14 Personal services income 2024

Complete question 14 to declare personal services income (PSI).

Published 29 May 2024

Things you need to know

Personal services income (PSI) is income that is mainly a reward for an individual's personal efforts or skills.

There are certain types of income that is not PSI – for example, for supplying or selling goods, such as, from retailing, wholesaling or manufacturing.

There are special rules for the tax treatment of PSI earned by sole traders, including contractors and consultants, commonly known as the PSI rules.

If you had PSI 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 Business and professional items schedule instructions 2024 before you can complete this question. If this applies to you, then 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 and we will mail you a paper return with fields for questions 14, 15 and 16 and the Business and professional items schedule 2024.

Did you receive income for personal services you provided as a sole trader?

  • No – Go to question 15 Net income or loss from business 2024.
  • 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 and we will mail you a paper tax return and the Business and professional items schedule 2024.

What you need to answer this question

To complete this question, you will need:

The following guides and tools will help you to understand PSI:

  • Personal services income tool – will help you decide whether you were conducting a personal services business and how to get more information about PSI issues.
  • Taxation Ruling TR 2022/3 Income tax: personal services income and personal services businesses
  • 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 your supplementary tax return

If lodging by paper, you can't enter amounts in the supplementary tax return for this question. 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 and we will mail you a paper:

  • tax return with fields for questions 14, 15 and 16
  • Business and professional items schedule 2024.

To complete this question, review and answer the parts below.

Part A

To complete this question, you need to read and complete the Business and professional items schedule 2024 and Individual PAYG payment summary schedule 2024.

Follow the steps below.

Step 1

Complete the Business and professional items schedule 2024, see Business and professional items schedule instructions 2024.

Step 2

If you received PSI from which tax was withheld, complete the Individual PAYG payment summary schedule 2024.

Step 3

Did you write an amount at question P1 – label A in your Business and professional items schedule 2024?

Part B

If you wrote your net PSI at question P1 – label A in Part B of your Business and professional items schedule 2024, follow the steps below.

Step 1

Transfer your net PSI or loss shown at question P1 – label A in the Business and professional items schedule 2024 to question 14 – label A in your supplementary tax return. Don't show cents.

Step 2

If you made a loss, print L in the LOSS box at label A.

Step 3

If you made a loss from one or more business activities, check that you have completed P3 Number of business activities and P9 Business loss activity details in the Business and professional items schedule 2024.

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 question 24 Other income 2024 – label Z. You will not be taxed twice on this income.

Part C

If you had tax withheld from your PSI, follow the steps below.

Step 1

Did you include an amount at question P1 – labels M, N or O in the Business and professional items schedule 2024?

Step 2

Did you have amounts of tax withheld under a pay as you go (PAYG) voluntary agreement?

  • No – Go to Step 3.
  • Yes – Read on.

Add up all the amounts on your Individual PAYG payment summary schedule 2024 at the Tax withheld boxes with a V in the TYPE box. These amounts must relate to the payments shown at question P1 – label M in the Business and professional items schedule 2024.

Write this amount at question 14 – label G in your supplementary tax return. Don't show cents.

Step 3

Did you have amounts of tax withheld because you did not quote your Australian business number (ABN)?

  • No – Go to Step 4.
  • Yes – Read on.

Add up all the amounts on your Individual PAYG payment summary schedule 2024 at the Tax withheld boxes with an N in the TYPE box. These amounts must relate to the payments shown at question P1 Personal services income (PSI) – label N in the Business and professional items schedule 2024.

Write this amount at question 14 – label H in your supplementary tax return. Don't show cents.

Step 4

Did you have amounts of tax withheld because you received PSI from:

If you answered:

Add up all the amounts on your Individual PAYG payment summary schedule 2024 at the Tax withheld boxes with an S in the TYPE box. These amounts must relate to the payments shown at question P1 Personal services income (PSI) – label O in the Business and professional items schedule 2024.

Write this amount at question 14 – label J in your supplementary tax return. Don't show cents.

Checks before moving to the next question

Check that you have:

  • completed the Business and professional items schedule 2024
  • transferred the amount from question P1 – label A in the Business and professional items schedule 2024 to question 14 – label A in your supplementary tax return. If this amount is a loss, print L in the LOSS box at label A.

If you received PSI from which tax was withheld, also check that you have:

  • completed your Individual PAYG payment summary schedule 2024 and attached it to your tax return
  • written amounts at question 14 – labels G, H and J, if required.

Where to go next




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