Could you benefit from the small business skills and training boost?

If you’re a small business with an aggregated annual turnover of less than $50 million and are paying for your employees’ external training, you could be eligible to claim the skills and training boost.

Eligibility requirements

You can't claim expenditure for training you undertake yourself as a business owner, such as where you are a sole trader, partner in a partnership or independent contractor.

If you are eligible, you can claim a deduction on expenditure for external training courses delivered to your employees, either in person or online. The training must be provided by a registered external training provider.

For example, if you’re a gardener operating as a sole trader, and you and your employee begin turf management training, you can’t claim the bonus deduction for the expenditure of training to yourself, but you can claim it for the provision of training to your employee. 

The expenditure must be already deductible for your business under taxation law.

What are the timescales?

The boost is available until 30 June 2024.

The expenses must have been between 29^th March 2022 – 30 June 2024.

You generally claim a deduction in the year the expenses are incurred. Under the delayed claim rule, you may have to claim a deduction for the eligible expense in your tax return for the income year in which you incurred it and claim the 20% bonus amount in a later year’s tax return. This depends on:

• when your income year runs, so whether your business is an early, normal or late balancer
• at what time during your income year you incur the expense.

What can you claim?

Training expenses can include incidental costs related to the provision of training, provided they are charged by the registered training provider, such as the cost of books or equipment needed for the course.

There may be fringe benefits tax (FBT) consequences associated with the expenditure you incur. 

How we can help

If you need help with your taxes give us a call on 03 8594 1811 or fill out our enquiry form here. At TaxAssist Accountants we offer a free initial consultation. 

Date published 26 Mar 2024