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Are You Missing Out On Tax Depreciation Claims?

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So many Australians miss out on property tax deduction claims every year. Tax depreciation on property investment is a legitimate deduction which the government allows you to claim. Due to the of lack of information on investment property depreciation rules, tax savings worth thousands of dollars are missed out.

Claiming for a tax deduction on the value of your property seems difficult but with the help of a professional expert, it can become really easy. Claiming depreciation can make a huge difference in a property investor’s cash flow. Despite all of this, it is most often missed.

That is where DEPPRO comes in.

What can be Done to Not Miss Out on Tax Depreciation Claims?

In Australia, only 30% of property investors claim deductions for the depreciating value of their property. It is nothing but a non-cash expense which you can claim every year on your property depreciation. You do not need to spend any cash to make this claim.

You are claiming on the declining value of your building or asset. Of course, there are certain conditions like any other tax deduction. If you have a residential property which was built before 1985, then you can claim depreciation on Division 40, Depreciating Assets only. But if it was built after 1985, then you can claim under Division 40 as well as Division 43.

The Tax Depreciation Schedule

A Quantity Surveyor is an official who is professionally qualified to produce a legal tax depreciation schedule by the ATO. It includes the following two divisions:

  1. Division 40: Depreciating Assets: This element of property depreciation schedule is all about assets like plant and equipment, lights, fans, carpets, floating floorboards, smoke alarms, air conditioners, refrigerators and so on. Every item which has a diminishing life is included in this. The tax deduction calculation, according to the investment property depreciation schedule ATO, is carried out based on the effective life of the items.
  2. Division 43: Capital Works Allowance: The immovable parts of the structure like the building, walls, roof, swimming pool, built-in furniture, toilets etc. are a part of this division. The investment property depreciation rules state that this capital works allowance is calculated on the basis of the construction cost of the building and not the current purchasing price. So if you are buying a property, you can claim a deduction based on the original construction cost while the building was made.

How Can DEPPRO Help You?

We have been in the industry for more than 12 years now and have a passion for tax saving. Our team has industry-leading skills and can assist in all areas of investment property taxations. We are always updated and are well-versed with all the latest Australian Taxation Office (ATO) rulings, investment property depreciation rules, and interpretations for our clients.

The property depreciation schedule made by us ensures that our clients get maximum tax benefits and at the same time it complies with all the latest ATO regulations. If you have the property of your own and make money owning it, get a qualified surveyor immediately to perform a tax depreciation schedule. We have offices all over Australia. Contact the one nearest to you today!

How Common Property Assets Can Supercharge Your Upfront Deductions

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It is pertinent that investors are aware of all of their entitlements. One of such is an entitlement to claim against a unit you own in the ambit of a complex. You can make this claim premised upon your share of the ownership.

This yield on investment property is most commonly denoted in form of a unit entitlement.

It is usually reflected on the strata plan of the owner or upon the plans of subdivision. You can measure this entitlement to claim per lot and then a summation of all the lots.

Unit Entitlement: Explained

Let’s understand this by analysing an example. So let’s assume that unit entitlement of a person is (say) 60 and the aggregate of all the lost come down to 800. Then, by this, we can deduce that the person has a 7.5% claim over the commonly owned assets.

In a typical example, per unit claim gets smaller in case there are larger developments involved. However, this small percentage can contribute considerably to the claim. That’s how Deppro Perth works. The two basic and very common headings under depreciation are the structure of the building and the assets of the plant.

Importance of Common Area Deductions in the Depreciation Schedule

Undeniable claims can be derived through the construction value of common areas when looking at the structure of the building alone. Building tax depreciation can be filed for returns. For instance, if one particular unit of your property has a construction cost of approximately $100,000, but the additional detailing done to it like pools, floors, gyms etc. can add up to thousands or even millions of dollars.

The real impact of the common area deductions can be traced on the assets mainly associated with plants and equipment. Numerous assets are usually left unnoticed such as fire alarms, fans used for ventilation, carpets, lifts, etc. All these carry huge investment amounts which can be tax deductible.

Even an air conditioning plant that holds a value of millions of dollars will give out a single unit entitlement of a couple of thousand dollars to the investor because of the deduction that occurred across years. Thus, an asset like air conditioners which carry high investment amounts is not actually which would provide you with considerable deduction. But, numerous other assets and equipment do promise complete depreciable value return to the investor annually.

How does it work?

This happens in a very logical manner. The assets or equipment which are of less than $301 and aren’t a member of any particular set, can be written off completely. An example of this can be taken of the door stoppers. Collectively when seen, the stoppers can cost over $25,000 but when the share of an individual investor is calculated, it’ll hardly reach up to $100. Other than this, some other common assets which are commonly used by the investors and thus fall under the category include motors, assets used for barbecue, fire extinguishers, sprinklers, treadmills, swimming pools, and their accessories etc. All of them are deductible immediately and can give you remarkably reduced taxable property.

Conclusion:

ATO property depreciation reduction can be experienced to a great extent by the common property. This is the major reason why units help you extract more deductions than houses generally. A fact to pay attention to is where the deduction is in the schedule. A large number of assets have a tendency of giving the deductions within the birth year of the ownership of the unit. This allows the investor to grab the advantage of improving his/her cash flow statements. Thus, a significant charge can be experienced in the upfront deductions of your common assets and their depreciation.

Top 5 Tax Depreciation Tips You Need to Know

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No one loves paying their taxes. That’s why you shouldn’t let go of an opportunity to legally reduce your tax. The guidelines regarding property tax depreciation allow you to do exactly that. If you go through the provisions of ATO property depreciation you will understand exactly how you can reduce your tax burden, but in this article, you can read that in very simple terms of 5 easy steps.

1. Understanding Your Assets

You need to demarcate each and every asset on your rental or investment property into the two broad categories of capital works and plant and equipment.

2. Getting an Expert Opinion

If you are not sure about how the distinction is to be made, you can get a dependable company like deppro to review your property and list down all the assets correctly. This is done by one of their certified, professional quantity surveyors.

3. Preparing Property Tax Depreciation Schedule

Based on the property review done completed by a qualified quantity surveyor, a complete property tax depreciation schedule would be prepared to detail the exact amounts of depreciation each element of your property is subject to. The company whom you have employed would prepare the correct details of each year’s depreciation.

4. Completing Your Tax Return

Once your depreciation schedule is ready, you need to go through the ATO regulations to understand what tax allowance each depreciation amount attracts. Based on that, your tax return will need to be reworked and the additional allowances factored in.

5. Check Your Refunds

If you pay advance tax, then the tax deductions your depreciation will allow you, will be granted to you as a refund. Make sure that this refund is exactly the same as the calculations you had calculated earlier.

 

How Real Estate Investors Can Benefit From a Property Depreciation Schedule

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Real estate is a great investment avenue. But property investors have to deal with depreciation. Every year the value of their property reduces. This is called depreciation. The rate of depreciation that each component of your property is eligible for is different. It depends on the ATO (Australian Tax Office) regulations. The Australian tax depreciation rules clearly specify the different rates. Accordingly, the tax deductions can be calculated and claimed. But for that, a complete schedule of depreciation calculations for every year needs to be created. That is called a depreciation schedule.

Process for Creating Depreciation Schedule

The first step of the process, is to get in touch with a dependable agency. This will help you save both time and effort. They will send you a qualified quantity surveyor of which will list down every single asset on your property. Then those assets are categorized as per the ATO rules. The depreciation schedule is then created with such details. A reputable agency will make the process of claiming depreciation on investment property very easy and convenient.

The Tax Benefits

Once the depreciation schedule is ready, it provides the corresponding tax breaks that are permitted by law. If the schedule has been correctly made, then the tax return will also be accurate. Therefore, there is no chance of double tax getting paid for the same item. Not to mention, you would not miss out on any taxable items. But most importantly, no eligible tax deduction option would get left out. Therefore, you can be assured that the lowest possible tax is paid.

A properly-made depreciation schedule is very important for investors. Otherwise, they can end up losing a part of their profits needlessly. Investors should have an accurate view of the tax savings they are eligible for, and such a schedule can help them.

A beginner’s guide to a depreciation schedule

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A depreciation schedule is a necessary tool that every property investor or business owner must have if they want to pay less tax and recover debt faster. It has been said that in some circles up to 80% of investors don’t know that they can depreciate their investment property, some don’t even understand what depreciation is.

 

Claiming the property and the items inside it on your tax return will give you a higher return, but not straight away. Items depreciate over time, and their depreciation costs will increase the longer an investor owns them because they’re given a ‘lifespan’ for their usefulness. Any item, from the fire alarm in the ceiling to the carpet on the floor, depreciates in value. Items under $300 are instant write-offs.

 

The depreciation schedule

It always contains two categories: capital works, and plant and equipment. Capital works are part of the property itself and any renovations done to the structure. Work done to the kitchen, the carpets, and even the patio gets included in capital works depreciation.

 

The plant and equipment category is comprised of items that can easily be moved out of the home or commercial premises. Whitegoods, furniture, electricals, and even rubbish bins are included. This is the category that some investors have trouble with because they don’t know they can even claim rubbish bins as an instant write-off.

 

The depreciation calculations, though, rarely get done by the investor who owns the property; this is a job for a quantity surveyor. After the property settlement, the new owners must get a surveyor in as soon as possible so they can make an accurate assessment. They’re the ones who write up the depreciation schedule. They calculate the value of the items in the home and how they’ll decline in value over time. Depreciation schedules last forty years, starting from the settlement date.

 

Investors don’t have to worry about working the depreciation schedule into their tax return, either. Once the quantity surveyor has completed their assessment, the investor’s accountant can handle the rest. They use the schedule as a guide to assist in making an accurate return. They’ll do their best to make sure their client pays as little tax, and gets the best refund, possible.

 

Business owners without a depreciation schedule are missing out hundreds of thousands of dollars over the time they own a property. Contractors like Deppro come to assess what their clients can claim, and work hard to ensure they get the maximum amount back.

Quantity surveyors and your tax depreciation schedule

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Who writes your tax depreciation schedule? Your trusted quantity surveyor does. You can’t get a schedule without them for a variety of reasons.

 

How early can I engage Deppro as my quantity surveyor?

You can engage Deppro very early in building projects. In fact quantity surveyors are more often associated with building and construction during initial project stages. They look at the building plans and the list of materials required, and from that they estimate costs.

 

Quantity surveyors work in a field that has the potential to take them around the world. Where there’s a building site, their services are required. They’re in their offices the  majority of the time writing reports and analysing information, though site trips are frequent.

 

Education

Before they work on building sites or for tax depreciation firms, an aspiring quantity surveyor attends university for their bachelor’s degree. These studies centre around urban development, construction design, engineering, and some economics specialities.

 

In Brisbane, for example, students enrol in a Bachelor of Urban Development (Honours) (Quantity Surveying and Cost Engineering). Students learn about cost engineering, business and tax law, architectural design, and more. By the end of the course they’re versed in building design, able to handle costing queries, and make effective property analyses.

 

Why not my accountant?

Your accountant is there for your financial needs. It’s their job to give advice and handle your statements, invoices, and returns. They aren’t licensed or versed in how to value property and all of the specifics of materials inside.

 

The ATO won’t accept a tax depreciation schedule from anyone else. Deppro’s quantity surveyors are qualified to make site visits, analyse the data and estimate the costs. They use critical thinking and analytical skills when looking over a property. Through this you’re guaranteed a thorough report that gives you maximum benefits.

 

The tax depreciation schedule is a ticket to the best return for anyone with an investment or commercial property. It contributes to your tax return, boosting it by tens of thousands over the time you have the investment in your portfolio. Deppro’s quantity surveyors are highly educated, accurate in their estimations, and accredited by the ATO, setting you up for nothing but success.