You can claim part or all of your internet bill on tax, provided you’re eligible to do so. To claim your internet plan, you must demonstrate that the expense is directly related to earning your income. If you use the internet for both work-related and personal purposes, you can only claim the portion that relates to your work or business activities.
To accurately determine this, you’ll need to keep records of your business internet usage and be able to demonstrate how it's linked to your work. The ATO provides a few methods for calculating your deductible expenses, which are:
- Revised fixed rate method: enables you to claim $0.67 per hour worked, requiring you to supply a record of hours worked from home and evidence of bills for internet
- Actual cost method: enables you to claim the actual amount you spent while working from home, requiring you to supply detailed records and calculations based on hours worked from the entire financial year or a representative 28-day period (such as via a diary)
Once you work out the correct portion, you can claim your internet expenses as a deduction under the category of ‘Work-Related Expenses' on your tax return.