You can claim a deduction for the cost of buying and cleaning occupation-specific clothing, protective clothing and unique, distinctive uniforms.
To claim a deduction you may need to have written evidence that you purchased the clothing and diary records or written evidence of your cleaning costs. Written evidence must be kept for a representative period of at least one month if both of the following apply:
- the amount you claim is greater than $150
- your total claim for work-related expenses exceeds $300.
If you received an allowance from your employer for clothing, uniforms, laundry or dry-cleaning, make sure you show the amount of the allowance on your tax return as it is assessable income. You can only claim a deduction for the amount you actually spent.
You can claim:
- a deduction for occupation-specific clothing. This means it is specific to your occupation, is not everyday in nature and allows the public to easily recognise your occupation. An example is the checked pants a chef wears.
- a deduction for protective clothing and footwear you wear to protect yourself from the risk of illness or injury posed by the activities you undertake to earn your income. The clothing must provide a sufficient degree of protection against that risk.
Examples include:
-
- fire-resistant and sun-protection clothing
- hi-vis safety vests
- non-slip nurse’s shoes
- steel-capped boots
- overalls, smocks and aprons you wear to protect your ordinary clothes from soiling or damage.
- a deduction for a compulsory or non-compulsory uniform that is unique and distinctive to the organisation you work for.
Clothing is:
-
- unique if it has been designed and made only for the employer
- distinctive if it has the employer’s logo permanently attached and the clothing is not available to the public.
You can’t claim
- A deduction for the cost of purchasing or cleaning clothes you bought to wear for work that are not specific to your occupation, such as black trousers and a white shirt, or a suit, even if your employer says this is compulsory.
These items are conventional, not usually a specific type and not sufficiently distinctive or unique to your employer.
- A deduction for ordinary clothes (such as jeans, drill shirts, shorts, trousers, socks or closed shoes) as they lack protective qualities designed for the risks of your work.
Compulsory Work Uniform
A compulsory work uniform is a set of clothing that identifies you as an employee of an organisation with a strictly enforced policy that makes it compulsory for you to wear the uniform while you’re at work.
- You can claim a deduction for shoes, socks and stockings where they are an essential part of a distinctive, compulsory uniform, and where their characteristics (colour, style and type) are specified in your employer's uniform policy.
- You can claim a deduction for a single item of distinctive clothing, such as a jumper, if it's compulsory for you to wear it at work.
Non-compulsory Uniform
A non-compulsory uniform is a set of clothing and accessory items (not protective or occupation-specific) that:
- distinctly identifies a particular employer, product or service
- is not compulsory for employees to wear to work.
- You can only claim expenses incurred for a non-compulsory work uniform if your employer has registered the design with AusIndustry
- Shoes, socks and stockings can never form part of a non-compulsory work uniform.
- You can’t claim a deduction for a single item of non-compulsory uniform, such as a jumper