Maybe I am the only one but there is something kind of exciting about doing your tax return and trolling through all your receipts an emails for things to claim, it's a little like a treasure hunt. Hahaha call me crazy :-P
For those who don't want to work that hard at tax time we have some tips for you! We are in no way professional tax agents and we recommend seeking out your own financial advice to ensure that this advice is right for you.
What to claim:
- If you work for an agency you can claim your agency fees
- Registration costs
- Laundry costs (my tax agent tells me you can claim this even if your employer gives you a laundry allowance)
- If you work multiple jobs you can claim travel between jobs
- If you are required to travel between sites for work using your own car this can be claimed (we recommend keeping a diary/logbook in your car for this)
- Protective clothing such as PPE, protective eyewear, scrubs or protective shoes
- External first aid or other courses required by your work
- Overtime meals (so if you're doing a double make sure you eat)
- Your phone if it is used for work purposes (need to keep a diary of usage if mixed with personal use)
- Education expenses related to CPD hours, or related to your current job or working towards a promotion in the same field
- Seminars and conferences including travel costs, accommodation and meals
- Stationary (how many pens did we go through this year?)
- Work tools e.g stethoscope (may need to work out depreciation depending on the cost)
- Fob watches but not normal watches (time for a new design maybe?)
- Union fees
- Subscriptions to professional organisations or publication
- Charitable donations (because we all know nurses are good hearted)
As always it is important to keep good records and ensure you have actually spent the money and not been reimbursed by your employer.
If you need any new equipment for work now is the time to stock up so you can claim on your return. Make sure to check out the Nurse Life website for all your nurse related needs!
And comment below to let us know if you have any other tips or know what you will be spending your return on!