Tax Deductions for Teachers in Australia 2026: What You Can Claim

Teachers spend more of their own money on the job than almost any other profession, from classroom supplies and teaching resources to professional development, sunscreen for playground duty and home internet for marking. The good news is that a great deal of it is tax deductible, and with tax season opening on 1 July, this is the complete, ATO-aligned checklist of tax deductions for teachers in Australia for 2026. Work through it category by category and you can claim everything you are entitled to, and avoid the claims the ATO will knock back.

It covers self-education, union and registration fees, the classroom supplies you buy for students, sun protection, equipment and technology, home office costs, excursions and camps, car travel, and the items teachers most often miss, plus a clear list of what you cannot claim and the records you need.

This is general information, not personal tax advice. For your own situation, check the ATO or speak to a registered tax agent.

TL;DR: What Teachers Can Claim

Teachers can claim work-related self-education, union and professional fees, teacher registration renewals, classroom supplies bought for students, sun protection for outdoor duties, the work portion of phone, internet and home office costs, equipment like laptops and teaching resources, and car travel between schools or to excursions. You cannot claim conventional clothing, your home-to-work commute, your initial teaching qualification, or childcare. Three rules always apply: you paid for it yourself, it relates to earning your income, and you keep records.

The Three Golden Rules

1. Self-Education and Professional Development

Professional development is a major teacher deduction, as long as it connects to your current role rather than helping you move into a different job. The course must maintain or improve the skills you use now, or be likely to increase your income in your current position.

• Course, conference and seminar fees relevant to your current teaching role
• Professional development and mandatory training
• First aid and CPR courses required for your job
• Textbooks, professional journals and teaching publications
• Stationery and travel costs for work-related study

2. Union, Memberships and Registration

• Union fees, such as AEU or IEU membership
• Professional association and teaching body memberships
• Your annual teacher registration renewal (for example VIT, QCT, NESA or your state’s board), but not your initial registration
• Working With Children Check renewals required for your role
• Professional indemnity insurance

3. Classroom Supplies and Teaching Resources

• Pens, markers, paper, books and stationery for the classroom
• Posters, charts, flashcards and educational displays
• Stickers, prizes and rewards for students
• Art and craft materials, science consumables and teaching aids
• Educational apps, software and online resources for teaching

4. Sun Protection and Protective Clothing

Here is a deduction many teachers do not realise they can claim. If you have outdoor duties, such as PE, sport, playground supervision or early childhood work, sun protection you buy to guard against the sun while working is deductible.

• Sunhats, sunglasses and sunscreen for outdoor duties
• Art smocks and aprons for art and craft classes
• Lab coats and safety glasses for science teachers
• Protective gear required for workshops or practical subjects

5. Equipment and Technology

Tools you buy to do your job are claimable. Items costing $300 or less can be claimed in full in the year you buy them; more expensive items are claimed gradually as they decline in value.

• Work-related portion of a laptop, tablet or computer used for planning and marking
• Printer, ink and paper used for schoolwork
• A work-use share of headphones, a webcam or a microphone for online teaching
• Musical instruments for music teachers and sports equipment for PE teachers
• Diaries, planners and a professional library

6. Home Office, Phone and Internet

Teaching does not stop at the school gate. The hours you spend marking, planning and preparing at home, or teaching online, generate claimable running costs. The simplest way is the 70-cent fixed rate method, which we explain fully in our guide to the working from home tax deduction for 2026, and you can calculate it with our home office rate calculator. You can also claim the work-related portion of your mobile phone and internet, based on a representative record of your usage.

7. Excursions, Camps and School Events

When you supervise school excursions, camps or events as part of your duties, your own unreimbursed costs can be deductible. This includes your transport to and from the activity and entry fees where you have to pay them yourself. It does not include any private portion, such as a meal you would have bought anyway, and it does not apply if your school reimburses you.

8. Car and Travel

As with all jobs, your normal commute from home to your regular school is never deductible. But genuine work travel during the day is.

• Driving between two different schools or campuses on the same day
• Relief and casual teachers travelling to a school that is not their regular workplace
• Travel to excursions, camps, sport and professional development
• Carrying bulky equipment when there is no secure storage at school
• Parking and tolls on work-related trips, but not at your regular school

You can claim car travel using the cents-per-kilometre method, which is 88 cents per work kilometre for 2025-26 up to 5,000 kilometres, or the logbook method, which claims the work-related percentage of your actual running costs. Keep a logbook or diary of your work trips.

What Teachers Cannot Claim

The 0 and 0 Record Rules

Two thresholds cause confusion. If your total claim for work-related expenses is $300 or less, you can claim without receipts, but you must still have actually spent the money and be able to explain your claim. Separately, you can claim up to $150 of laundry for any compulsory uniform without written evidence. These are limits on when you need receipts, not free deductions you can claim automatically. Once your total work expenses exceed $300, you need records for the whole claim, so keep everything.

Keeping Records and Claiming

Good records are what turn entitlements into refunds. Keep receipts, invoices and a logbook, and use the ATO’s myDeductions tool in the ATO app to photograph receipts as you go, which is ideal for a year of small classroom purchases. Hold records for five years. At tax time you lodge your return from 1 July through myGov and myTax or with a registered tax agent; our step-by-step guide to lodging your first tax return online walks you through it, and you can estimate your refund with our Australian tax calculator. If you still need a Tax File Number, see our guide to the TFN and how to apply.

Frequently Asked Questions

Final Thoughts

Teachers give a lot to their students, often out of their own pockets, so claim back everything you are genuinely entitled to. Work through this checklist category by category, keep your receipts and a simple logbook through the year, and remember the three golden rules: you paid for it, it relates to your work, and you can prove it. Done properly, your deductions can add up to a worthwhile refund. For the official detail, the ATO publishes a dedicated teachers and education professionals deductions guide.