Teachers spend their own money constantly, and a surprising amount of it is deductible. The line is whether the expense is yours and for your work, not for the students.
Checked against the ATO teachers and education professionals guide, updated 11 May 2026
Teaching aids, technical and professional publications, union and professional association fees, and the work share of your phone and internet are all deductible. Excursions, school trips and camps count. So does a first aid course, if you are the designated first aid officer. The line the ATO draws is about who the money is for: resources you buy to do your job are claimable, but money spent on a student personally is not — gifts for students, paying for their lunch, covering their excursion or buying their school books.
The hours you spend marking, planning and preparing at home are working from home hours, and they add up fast across a school year. Use one of the ATO methods — the 70 cent fixed rate is the simple one — and keep a record of your actual hours as you go. What you cannot put through: coffee, tea and milk; anything relating to your own children’s education such as iPads or online learning subscriptions; and the decline in value of a laptop or phone your employer gave you.
Coming back to school at night for parent-teacher interviews is still home-to-work travel, so it is not deductible. You can claim driving directly between two jobs on the same day, driving from your regular school to another school for something like moderating exam results, and going from home directly to a training venue. Carrying genuinely bulky equipment can also make a home trip claimable, but only if it is essential, awkward to transport without a car, and there is no secure storage at school.
A compulsory uniform explicitly required by a workplace agreement or policy is claimable. Sports clothing and business attire are conventional clothing, so they are not. Conferences, seminars and training courses are deductible when they maintain or improve the skills you use now, or are likely to increase your income in your current role.
Where Nomo fits: Nomo counts your home marking hours at the 70 cent rate with a daily nudge, and files the excursion and teaching-aid receipts as you go.
General information only, not tax advice. Rules change and everyone’s situation is different, so check ato.gov.au or talk to a registered tax agent before you lodge. Nomo is a record keeping tool and does not lodge returns.