Personal & Home Services · Brisbane
Accountants for Home Businesses
Running a business from home is the cheapest overhead there is — as long as you understand which home costs you can claim and what claiming them may cost you later.
What can I claim when I run a business from home?
Two categories. Running expenses — electricity, internet, phone, cleaning of the work area, depreciation on furniture and equipment — are claimable using the 70c-per-hour fixed rate (with a record of hours) or by actual cost apportionment. Occupancy expenses — rent, mortgage interest, rates, insurance — are only claimable where part of the home is a genuine place of business, and claiming them generally means that portion loses the main residence CGT exemption. That trade-off deserves arithmetic, not enthusiasm.
- Specialist support for home-based businesses
- Fixed monthly packages from $220
- BAS, payroll and year-end handled together
- Benchmarked against ATO industry figures
What we watch
What matters most for home-based businesses.
The CGT trade-off
Claiming occupancy costs can cost you part of your main residence exemption on sale. We quantify both sides before you claim.
Fixed rate versus actual cost
Actual cost usually wins with a dedicated room, but requires apportionment and records. The fixed rate needs a full-year hours record.
Business versus hobby
ABN, records, intent and marketing determine whether deductions and losses are available at all.
Structure as you grow
Insurance, liability and customers visiting your home all argue for a company once the business is real.
Deductions
Home Businesses — what you can claim.
A working checklist we go through with every client in this sector. Substantiation requirements differ by item — we'll tell you which need records and which don't.
- Electricity, gas and internet on work-use basis
- Phone on a substantiated work percentage
- Desk, chair, computer and equipment depreciation
- Business software and subscriptions
- Stock storage space at home
- Vehicle use for business travel
- Insurance for business assets and liability
- Cleaning of the dedicated work area
- Marketing, website and accounting fees
How we help
Services home-based businesses use most.
Tax Returns
Individual and business returns prepared accurately, lodged fast, with every deduction claimed.
Learn more →Tax Planning
Year-round planning that lowers your tax bill before 30 June — not after it.
Learn more →Business Accounting
Bookkeeping, BAS, payroll and management reporting handled end to end.
Learn more →Self-Managed Super (SMSF)
SMSF setup, administration, compliance and audit coordination in one place.
Learn more →Business Advisory
Structuring, cash-flow forecasting, growth strategy and succession planning.
Learn more →Financial Reporting
Clear statutory and management accounts you can actually make decisions from.
Learn more →FAQ
Home Businesses — questions we're asked most.
Should I claim mortgage interest and rates?
Only if part of your home is genuinely a place of business — a dedicated, identifiable area not used for private purposes. It also generally means that portion attracts CGT on sale. For most home businesses the running-expenses claim is worth taking and the occupancy claim isn't, but the numbers depend on your property's growth and how long you'll hold it.
Which home office method is better?
The 70c fixed rate is simple and covers energy, internet, phone and stationery, but requires a record of actual hours worked from home for the whole year. Actual cost claims each expense's work-related portion with receipts and apportionment — usually higher for a dedicated room. We calculate both and use the better substantiated result.
Do I need an ABN for a home business?
If you're carrying on an enterprise, yes — and clients will generally require one to avoid withholding. It's free, and it's what makes deductions, GST registration and business banking straightforward.
Can I claim storage space for stock?
Yes, where a defined area of your home is used to store business stock, apportioned by floor area. This is a common, legitimate and frequently overlooked claim for online sellers operating from home.
Related
Related pages.
Accountants for eCommerce
Specialist tax and accounting support for Brisbane ecommerce.
Learn more →Accountants for Private Tutors
Specialist tax and accounting support for Brisbane private tutors.
Learn more →Small Business Accountant Brisbane
Sole traders to companies
Learn more →Personal Tax Return Accountant Brisbane
PAYG & individual returns
Learn more →Local coverage across Brisbane
We work in person from our Wakerley office and by secure video across 200 suburbs. Start with your region:
- Accountants Brisbane CPA accountants for the wider Brisbane metro area.
- Accountants South Brisbane South Brisbane, West End, Annerley and Sunnybank.
- Accountants Brisbane Northside Chermside, Stafford, Aspley and the northern corridor.
- Accountants Brisbane Bayside Wynnum, Manly, Wakerley and Tingalpa.
- Accountants Redland City Cleveland, Capalaba, Victoria Point and the bay islands.
- Accountants Logan City Springwood, Beenleigh, Browns Plains and 50 Logan suburbs.
- Accountants Ipswich Ipswich CBD and the western Brisbane corridor.
Ready when you are
Accountants for home businesses — let's talk.
Free 15-minute consultation, fixed monthly fee, and an accountant who already knows your sector.