Hi, I bought a townhouse and work as Sales Rep. Home office. Last year, my tax agent advise me not to claim office space, electricity, Internet and other related expenses for it will effect my capital gain. Is that right? Please advise. Thank u
It depends. Home 'office' expenses won't generally effect CGT unless you are running a business from home. See TR 93/30 https://www.ato.gov.au/law/view/document?Docid=TXR/TR9330/NAT/ATO/00001
A home based study and a place of business are different. Occupation expenses such as electricity, internet etc are not indicators of a CGT concern. A share of the ownership costs would be (interest, rates etc). All tax agents should be able to explain the difference. Ideally your employer should have an expectation of what work you may do at home as the ATO will often ask for a employer letter. ie a Bank worker who works from home 2 dpw and has a facility approved by the bank would be far more likely to get deductions past ATO than a bank worker who tries to explain that they work 3 hours a day - And they are a teller.