Tax Return & Types of Investments

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Investors in Australia like to invest their hard-earned money in something that gives a good return. For this reason, a large number of people in the country invest in shares and other investment while others have invested in securities exchanges. People in Australia prefer to invest in on-exchange investments.

Investment in property has also emerged as a popular investment. The ATO permits property owners to claim ATO property depreciation as a tax deduction. Property owners can claim depreciation if they earn income from their property. The deduction helps in declining property owners’ taxable income and consequently, they pay less tax.

Here are the types of income that investors must declare:

Interest

The interest that you earn from your bank accounts like term deposits is treated as an investment income. If you have earnings from other sources such as penalties from any of your investments, these should be declared. Also, if you get interest from your children’s saving account, you must declare it. It may include interest credited or paid by the government. Meanwhile, if you received bonuses from your life insurance, it will also be treated as an investment. You will be allowed a 30% tax offset out of such bonuses. You can hire experts to get your property valuation done effectively.

Dividends

Shares can be described as yet another form of a dividend. When you declare your bonus shares and the company from which they came, you should provide a statement that will validate that these shares are a dividend. The company may be either a public trading trust, corporate unit trust, or listed investment business. There will be dividends with imputation credits in some scenarios and you must declare them on your tax return. It is worth mentioning that a share trader will be taxed differently from other investors. If you happen to be a share trader, you will be permitted to claim your losses as a tax deduction. For regular investors, the deductions shall be made on their capital gains. You should always hire an expert quantity surveyor to prepare your ATO tax depreciation schedule.

Managed investment trust

You must always specify any income generated from a trust investment product on your tax return. Some instances include money market, unit trust, cash management, and mortgage trust, among others. These kinds of trusts are considered investment income.

Capital gains

Many people struggle with this. Capital gains can be described as the difference between the amount you paid for a particular asset and the amount you sold it for. There will be some scenarios where you make a capital gain for a managed fund such as share trust, equity trust, or growth trust if it provides you a capital gain. Capital gains are usually included in your entire income and aren’t considered as an individual income, they will be taxed similarly.

Conclusion

Your return for all kinds of investments must be an integral part of your regular tax return. The process may be different depending on the kind of investments you have. If you have earned dividends, they will get added to your taxable income automatically. You can hire Deppro quantity surveyors to calculate your taxable income. You will also get a tax statement from your broker at the end of every financial year. The statement will include the total profits you have earned during that period. If you have filed your own tax return, make sure to include your entire profits in the report.

4 Things to Know About Your Tax Depreciation Schedule

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When you claim depreciation it will help in enhancing cash flow from the property. As per ATO rules, businesses can specify depreciation as an expenditure while reporting the income tax return for a specific period. You may refer to tax depreciation tables 2015 when you mention depreciation as an expense. The amount will help in bringing down your taxable income. All residential property and commercial property have depreciation value. The tax regulatory authority summarizes and compiles these deductions in a report known as the tax depreciation schedule.

Here are the things that you must be aware of about the tax depreciation schedule:

1. Consult with a Quantity Surveyor

When you own an investment property, you will remain eligible to claim several tax deductions. It will directly bring down your taxable income. The deductions may include council rates, management fees, accounting fees, and maintenance expenses among others. Meanwhile, the depreciation deduction is separate as it is non-cash. It implies that you are not required to spend money when you seek to claim a depreciation deduction. Many property owners end up missing it. You should consult with an expert Quantity Surveyor who will help in maximizing claims and preparing a schedule. The main motto of all property investors in Australia is to improve their tax refund as much as possible.

2. Categories

The depreciation schedule contains two categories namely capital works and plant & equipment. Capital works involve the property’s actual cost, structures, renovations, and extensions. It has emerged as a vital part of the schedule. Fencing, paving, and sheds including some other permanent assets are also an integral part of this category. Meanwhile, plant & equipment includes assets such as furniture, flooring, and appliances, among others. The procedure of claim includes inspection of the building and fixing a value to each asset.

3. Lease days

The ATO permits you to claim depreciation till the time property remains available for lease. If you happen to be a new owner of an investment property, you will still be allowed for a claim. In this situation, the claim will mainly depend on the number of days the property remained available for rent.  When you consult with experts and accountants, it is necessary to ask about partial claims within the year and pro-data deductions depending on the lease tenure. When you lodge your tax return Australia online, some vital details will already be filled for you.

4. Previous years claim

There are times when property owners tend to miss claiming depreciation deduction for many years due to ignorance. However, now ATO permits adjustment years after the first submission. This implies that you may file an amendment application for the missed depreciation deductions.

Conclusion:

You must be aware of the aforementioned things about your tax depreciation schedule. Soon after you improve your property, you need to hire a professional Quantity Surveyor to help you prepare a detailed claim. Your motto must be to enhance your Yield on investment property. You should not get confused between repairs and capital works improvement. It is because the claim procedure for the two remains different. This is the reason why you need to hire a professional as it will ensure that your deductions are correct.

Significance of Tax Depreciation for Property Investors

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Tax depreciation plays a vital role for property investors. It can significantly enhance cash flow for them when they prepare their property depreciation report effectively. They can also bring down their payable tax. The goal of an individual is to bring down tax liabilities and it can be achieved by claiming tax depreciation. And, when you desire to maximize your cash flow, you can, once again, do so by claiming all existing tax deductions.

Let’s understand the importance of tax depreciation for property investors with the following questions and answers:

Why You Must Claim Tax Depreciation Deduction?

Tax depreciation deduction, in combination with other existing tax deductions, can bring down your tax payable thus leaving more money in your pocket. A large number of investors are aware that they will be able to claim a tax deduction for property management fees, interest, repairs, and maintenance. However, some of them end up missing out on claiming tax depreciation deduction. As interest rates are quite low, tax depreciation deduction can significantly emerge as one of the major deductions claimable. They should effectively get their investment property depreciation schedule prepared with the help of reliable professionals. Depreciation deduction will bring down your taxable income and assist your property return a positive cash flow.

Will All Property Investors Require a Tax Depreciation Schedule?

It is imperative to investigate obtaining a tax depreciation schedule if you are keen to enhance all your capital allowance and tax depreciation. Owners of qualifying residential property or commercial space must order a tax depreciation schedule if they plan to claim one of their major tax deduction. You must also need to find out if your investment property qualifies or not. You may hire leading professionals who may carry out an estimate of tax depreciation deductions available for you.

How You May Claim Your Tax Depreciation Deduction?

The most convenient way to claim tax depreciation deduction is to get a tax depreciation schedule prepared from quantity surveyor tax depreciation. He will prepare your tax depreciation schedule for your accountant so that he may apply it at the right time. It is worth noting that your accountant is not eligible to assess the construction cost for generating this deduction for you. Some property investors are not aware of whether they need to pay for their tax depreciation schedule every year. It is important to note that they are not required to pay for it every year. It is because it is a one-time investment that remains completely tax-deductible in the year you buy it.

Conclusion:

Tax depreciation holds great significance for property investors. You also need to get your depreciation schedules for rental property prepared from quantity surveyors. Free updates are allowed to be made where you have replaced, added, or improved assets or carried out small improvements. In case you have just completed major works and estimation is needed, you may have to pay a fee. You must not become such a property investor who fails to claim one of the biggest tax deductions available.

How Depreciation Works for a New Investment Property

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Tax allowance has the potential of making investment property profitable and depreciation has emerged as a key allowance. Depreciation residential rental property is a vital tax allowance that you must not forget to claim. Depreciation is a crucial element of a property investor’s investment strategy. It is important to note that depreciation tax breaks remain higher on new properties. However, they are available for all kinds of investment properties whether they are old or new. A large number of investors end up missing out on important tax breaks every year.

Here is how depreciation will work for a new investment property:

What is depreciation?

According to the Australian Tax Office, depreciation can be described as when assets decline in value as they age. It can be described with an example. Let us take an instance of a $2000 desktop computer on which ATO allows four years. It will provide you a $500 deduction every year over a period of four years. You should be aware of how and when to lodge your Australian tax return.

How property investors will claim depreciation?

Property investors will be able to claim for depreciation in two ways namely capital works deductions and depreciating assets. Here is how it can be further described:

  • Capital works deductions: It is defined as the expense of building an investment property or construction expenditure. This form of depreciation normally spreads for more than 40 years. In other words, it is the duration that ATO claims that a building will last before it will require replacement. For example, if $2000 spent on building a new property, you may make a $5000 tax claim every year for 40 years (2.5 % per year).
  • Depreciating assets: According to ATO, depreciating assets will include items like electric equipment, computers, furniture, and motor vehicle, among others. For property investors, the depreciating assets will include items like stoves, light fittings, carpets, or even the rubbish bin. ATO has specified all the items that you will be able to claim and for how long when you prepare your property report. It is also known as the effective life by ATO according to which this is how long the assets will last before it will need replacement. For instance, a carpet’s estimated lifespan will be 10 years, the kitchen stove’s life will be 12 years, and the bin’s life will be 10 years.

How you may claim depreciation?

You will be able to claim depreciation using two methods namely the prime cost method and diminishing value method. The prime cost method provides you an equal tax deduction every year over the item’s effective life. Meanwhile, the diminishing value method will offer you bigger claims in the initial years of the item’s effective and smaller claims gradually. A large number of investors opt for the diminishing value method as it provides them with a higher depreciation rate in the beginning. If you face some confusion, your accountant will give you advice as to which method will work best for you.

Conclusion:

The aforementioned details will give you an adequate idea of how depreciation will work for a new property. It is ideal to hire an expert quantity surveyor who will be able to prepare your tax depreciation schedules in an effective manner. They have expertise in identifying the value of construction work. They can also offer you a report on the depreciation rate that will be claimable on your property and when you may claim it. You will then send this report to your account who will claim it on your tax return.

Three interesting facts about your specialist Quantity Surveyor

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A large number of first-time property investors find out that they will require a tax depreciation schedule sooner or later. They can obtain the tax depreciation schedule from Quantity Surveyor. Property investors can bring down their tax liability by effectively calculating depreciation tax deduction on rental property. ATO has already recognized Quantity Surveyors as the right individuals to calculate building costs for depreciation purposes. But not all Quantity Surveyors have expertise in depreciation. Depreciation experts possess the right skills to find out if your depreciation claim has been maximized or not.

Here are some interesting facts about QS that you must not overlook:

1. Passion for figures

An expert QS is passionate about numbers and prepares a depreciation schedule by making good use of these numbers. They will also evaluate the income-generating property and plant & equipment assets to assess their depreciable value. Meanwhile, the expenses of structural units like floors, walls roofs, and windows will remain eligible to be claimed as capital works deduction. The rate will be 2.5 percent every year over 40 years for any property where construction began after September 15, 1987. Calculating depreciation for plant & equipment is also not that easy. There are over 1600 depreciable plant & equipment assets identified by ATO. You can hire leading tax depreciation surveyors to assess all depreciable objects.

2. Include all plant & equipment asset

An expert QS has a great eye for detail and conducts a thorough survey of the property. They grab images of all the depreciable objects available inside and outside the building. A professional Quantity Surveyor always ensures to inspect all the objects and catalogue them so that all of them are specified on the owners’ depreciation schedule. They leave no stone unturned when it comes to calculating all the things that are depreciable. It will help in preparing effective tax depreciation reports.

3. Close relationship with accountants and property experts

They build strong relationships with Accountant and property professionals. The friendship among them remains mutual. They all work in the direction to make investment properties perform effectively for the owner. An expert QS assists investors by offering depreciation estimates to property managers and real estate agents for their listed properties. They also connect with property managers to organize an inspection period with tenants when it comes to completing the depreciation schedule.

The moment a QS concludes the depreciation schedule, a copy will be sent to you and your accountant. It will allow you to enter deductions into your annual income tax assessment. Accountants will be able to use your depreciation schedule to assist you to claim deductions consistently. You can also adjust any tax returns that were submitted in the last two years in case deductions were not claimed or maximized.

Conclusion:

An expert QS will utilize tricks like instant write-off and less value pooling to let investors enhance their deduction. An expert QS will also be able to prepare a strata property act depreciation report without any hassle. They adhere to books and work closely with ATO to remain updated on the latest depreciation legislation and tax rules. They strive to follow ATO guidelines religiously to make sure that claims are valid.

Making Your Main Residence an Investment Property

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Converting a residential property into an investment one is increasingly becoming more common among property owners. Sometimes it is due to circumstances like moving to a different city or property, while other times it is simply a way of earning money from the property. But turning a house into an investment property is not as simple as it sounds. Let’s look at things like depreciation on investment property that you should consider before making the decision.

New Taxes and Deductions

Converting a residential property to an investment property completely changes your tax schedule. The income you now earn from the investment property, like rent, is taxable. However, you may also be eligible for several tax deductions offered by the ATO. These include maintenance cost of the property, interest cost on property loans, and other expenses.

Depreciation Deductions

Depreciation is one of the most important deductions that investment property owners can claim. Depreciation is the loss in value of the property or its assets caused due to the general wear-and-tear that occurs with time. The ATO allows depreciation on residential rental property and investment property as tax deductions.

There are two ways to claim tax deductions for depreciation. Under capital works deduction, you can claim depreciation for all the structural assets in the property. This includes all fixtures that are considered integral parts of the property. The majority of depreciation deductions are covered under capital works. The other category is plants and equipment, which covers the remaining assets within the property.

The depreciation of property works exponentially; new properties lose their value much faster than old ones. Hence, owners of old properties often do not consider depreciation deductions significant tax deductions. However, all tax deductions help the pocket, be it big or small. It is always wise to consult a property expert to form a depreciation schedule for investment property before you convert it to commercial purposes.

Capital Gains

A primary residential property is exempted from capital gains tax (CGT) in Australia. But when that property is converted into an investment property that exemption no longer applies. Various forms of CGT are applicable to the investment property depending on various factors like duration of ownership. Meet with an accountant to understand how to minimise the CGT before you convert your property.

Insurance Coverage

Insurance is one of the absolute necessities for any kind of property. It is also one of the things to consider when converting your home to an investment property. Most home insurance does not cover commercial properties since the risks involved are quite different. So everything, from home itself to the assets within it, will need to be insured again. Meet with an agent to discuss your exact insurance needs.

Conclusion

Converting a residential property to an investment one can certainly be an exciting affair. However, it is important to do it with the right knowledge and planning like depreciation reports. Only then you will be able to maximise your profits.

Know Your Tax Claims during Renovation

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Renovation is an essential aspect of maintaining and improving a property, but it is not always done for the looks alone. Many property investors opt for renovation before selling or renting the property to another party. But what is often missed is the possible tax claims from renovation, like building tax depreciation. In Australia, renovation costs can be claimed, but there are specific scenarios.

Here is what you must know about renovation and tax claims:

Renovating a Personal Property

Let’s start with the simplest case: you are renovating your primary residence. Since it is a property for personal use and not as a commercial one, this automatically excludes several tax deductions like depreciation. However, if you choose to sell the property later, all renovations carried out in the home are exempted from capital gains tax (CGT). The ATO also allows for renovations on areas adjacent to the primary property (like swimming pool) as long as the total area is less than two hectares. This too is exempted from CGT.

Renovating an Investment Property

Things are different in the case of investment properties. Perhaps the most important distinction is in depreciation. The ATO allows investment property owners to claim depreciation deductions over the cost of general wear and tear that occurs within the property. Now you might be thinking, can you claim depreciation on a rental property? Yes, you can. There are two types of depreciation deductions: the structural components under capital work deductions, and equipment assets installed within the property.

However, there is a very important caveat to this. As per the 2017 legislation, depreciation cannot be claimed in the case of second-hand properties. If you are renovating your property while living in it, and later renting it out, everything within it would be considered second-hand. Even the new equipment installed during a renovation would now be excluded from depreciation deductions. It is therefore imperative to ensure that you are not living in the investment property while carrying out the renovations. Not only this, but the property should also be listed as “for rent” before you actually being the renovations.

The 2017 legislation does offer some exceptions. For instance, rental properties that have undergone a ‘significant’ renovation are exempted from being treated as second-hand when sold. Most importantly, new properties remain unaffected and offer the most significant tax deductions.

‘Scrapping’ During Renovation

Scrapping refers to the removal of assets that are considered depreciable. This includes faucets, carpets, cupboards, etc. During the renovation, most property owners are focussed on claiming depreciation on a rental property and don’t care much about the old assets which are being discarded. However, this is a mistake. The ATO allows investment property owners to claim the depreciation cost of certain items as tax deductions. This means that you could claim the depreciation of the old items you have removed from your property in the same year as the renovation.

Conclusion

Renovation can change the entire appearance of your property, but it also carries some importance for the state of your finances. Carrying out renovations with the right knowledge from Deppro Perth can allow you to save a significant amount of money.

Important Things to Consider While Claiming Property Depreciation

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The property tax depreciation schedule is not just restricted to the professionals. Anyone purchasing a property for the purpose of generating income will be allowed to depreciate both items within the building and the cost of the building. And, the savings will be huge. Before you move ahead, it is important to find the meaning of property depreciation. A property investor will receive two types of allowances. These are depreciation on plant and equipment and depreciation on building. Plant and equipment includes items inside the building like ovens, dishwashers, blinds, and carpet, among others. The building allowance includes the construction of the building itself. It will include expenses like timber, brickwork, concrete construction, etc. These expenditures are permitted to be offset against the assessable income.

So, discussed below are the important things you must consider when claiming property depreciation:

How Will A Depreciation Schedule Assist You?

It is not at all complicated. A depreciation schedule will go a long way in helping you pay less tax. Your taxable income will be lowered by the amount that the depreciation schedule states. Depreciation can be described as a non-cash deduction, as it has emerged as the only deduction that you are not required to pay for. The deductions are included within the purchase price of a property. The remaining deductions like interest levies are expenditures that may hurt your pocket on a regular basis. You can hire professionals to calculate the tax depreciation cost precisely.

Is Your Property Too Old for Claiming Depreciation?

If your residential property happened to be constructed after July 1985, you may claim both building allowance and plant and equipment.

Who Can Prepare a Depreciation Schedule Report?

It is worth noting that real estate agents and property managers aren’t permitted to prepare a depreciation schedule. If your residential property was constructed after 1985, your accountant will not be permitted to assess the construction costs. ATO has recognised Quantity Surveyors as qualified to assess the right estimate of construction costs where those costs remain unidentified. Quantity Surveyors are specialists in the precise assessment of construction costs and they can maximize an investor’s financial position pertaining to their property assets. The Quantity Surveyors can also determine the tax depreciation life of your property.

Do Quantity Surveyors Need to Make an Inspection of Your Investment Property?

Site inspections have turned out to be crucial in meeting the requirements set by ATO. A professional Quantity Surveyor will make sure that all depreciable items are included and photographed. It will ensure that you do not miss out on any deductions. The documentation will then be used as proof in case of an audit.

Conclusion

You must remember the above things when you set out to claim allowable depreciation on rental property. If your property has been renovated, you must find out how much you have spent on the renovations. This is an obligation set by ATO. In case the previous owner carried out some renovations, you will still be able to claim depreciation. And, if the cost of renovation remains unknown, a Quantity Surveyor will be entitled to make that estimation.

4 Interesting Facts about Specialist Quantity Surveyors

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Quantity surveyors are the people who eat, breathe, drink, and sleep depreciation. Both first-time investors and regular investors have a need for the high quality quantity surveyors that can be hired from places like Deppro Victoria for depreciation reports. Quantity surveyors are come up with the best depreciation schedules to save some of your hard-earned money from draining away.

So, here are some amazing facts about these super depreciation controllers who can get some dollars back to your pockets again:

1. Number Passion:

Quantity surveyors have a knack for numbers which they use efficiently to determine a perfect depreciation schedule. They take into account all the equipment assets to calculate the actual depreciation value that can be filed. This may sound simple but in reality it is a complex process that involves lots of calculations and deep thinking. Hiring a quantity surveyor to determine the appropriate values and crunch the numbers will deliver the best possible depreciation schedule.

2. They Try to Include Everything Possible:

People often do not have full knowledge of all the things that can be added to a depreciation schedule, but this is not the case when you talk about experts. Quantity surveyors conduct a detailed property inspection and take all the essential pictures capturing the assets present inside and outside the house that can be put up for depreciation. They know exactly how to seek out depreciating assets for tax purposes which may just look like a piece of trash to normal people. They make sure that they find out all such things that can be listed down for depreciation.

3. Good Relations with Accountants and Property Specialists:

Quantity surveyors have a good working relationship with property professionals and accountants, and they can work together to derive the best for the property owners. Property managers can help by inspecting the property to finalise an adequate depreciation schedule, and once it is finalised, it is further sent to the accountants for detailed scrutiny. Accountants can help you adjust the deductions and reduce the amount of tax paid by you on an annual basis. Also, they can help you claim the Deppro tax depreciation and adjust tax returns if at for any reason you failed to file for deductions for the previous two years.

4. They Go by the Rule Book

Quantity surveyors abide by the rule book. May it be the ATO or the professional industry association, they keep themselves updated with the latest happenings and amendments made for tax rulings and other depreciation claims. Also, they make sure that they follow the ATO guidelines to make legit and sure-shot depreciation claims.

Conclusion

A professional quantity surveyor can bring in a huge difference when it comes to pinning down an adequate depreciation schedule. They are the ones who can help the investors save a lot of money by filing Deppro QLD claims that an investor stands eligible for. They tend to be highly beneficial for your property investment goals.

Top Depreciation Claims for Property Owners in Australia

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There are various ways in which landlords can save money when paying their annual taxes. But in most cases, they end up paying hefty taxes due to a lack of information about the eligibility of filing depreciation claims.

Here in this post, you can see the top tax deductions that you can claim for your property:

1. Installed appliances depreciation

If you have installed appliances at your home, such as dishwashers, air conditioners, washing machines, etc., the owners can consider claiming deductions based on the effective life of the appliances.

2. Maintenance and wear and tear

If you have spent a sum on the upkeep of your property, you can claim depreciation for the building based on the amount invested. May it be a broken roof struck by a storm or a broken window due to a tree fall, all can be put up for a property depreciation claim.  

3. Strata title

People who are in possession of multi-storey apartments and subdivisions, stand eligible for strata title. Holding a strata title makes the owners eligible for claiming the amount that they paid as corporate body charges. The body corporate fee is levied on owners who own apartments, multi-story buildings, duplexes, townhouses, etc. Also, the owners can put up a depreciation petition for maintenance and garden development in such cases by including them as strata fees.

4. Property loan interest charges

If you have required a property loan when buying your property, the interest amount levied on the same can be filed for tax depreciation. The principal amount cannot be claimed, but the interest amount for the full loan is eligible for Deppro depreciation.

5. Building depreciation

If you have made any renovations to your building, you can claim the same on your property. Buildings that have been built on or before the 16th of September 1987 do not stand eligible for depreciation claims. However, buildings that have been constructed after that date are eligible for a depreciation claim. All you need to do is hire a professional who will make use of investment property calculator to come up with the best cost-cutting solutions.

6. Cost of advertisement for a rental property

If you are planning to rent out your property using any of the advertising methods such as brochures, print media, signboards, etc., then we have good news for you. Now you can claim the advertising cost that you have invested to rent your property to a tenant.

Conclusion:

To gain a better understanding of the depreciation rules, you can consider seeking advice from property depreciation consultants.