04 May

Depreciation is the natural wear and tear that occurs to a building and the assets within it over time.  The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) allows owners of income-producing properties to claim this depreciation as a tax deduction. 

Property depreciation can be quite technical, but luckily BMT Tax Depreciation is here to make it easy. 

These five tax depreciation facts from BMT will show how depreciation works and why it’s important to claim. 

Fact. 1 Depreciation is the highest non-cash deduction available

Tax depreciation is a non-cash deduction, which means investors don’t need to spend any money to claim it. 

Property depreciation is usually the second-highest tax deduction available for property investors, only falling second to interest payments. 

Fact. 2 There are two types of property depreciation 

There are two types of depreciation deductions available. The first type is capital works (Division 43) which is a building’s structure and permanently fixed assets like built-in kitchen cupboards and driveways.

The second type is plant and equipment (Division 40), the easily removable or mechanical assets such as air-conditioning units and hot water systems. 

Fact. 3 Legislation changes don’t prevent all deductions 

There were changes made to depreciation legislation in 2017. These changes meant that owners of second-hand properties purchased after 9 May 2017 could no longer claim depreciation on previously used plant and equipment assets.  

This doesn’t impact new plant and equipment assets owners purchase for the investment property. It also doesn’t change how depreciation can be claimed for qualifying capital works deductions. On average, capital works make up eighty-five to ninety percent of the total depreciation claim. 

Fact 4. New and old properties hold depreciation

Many property investors think depreciation is not available in older properties. This is false and will often result in investors disregarding tax depreciation schedules and missing out on thousands of dollars in lost tax deductions. 

Both new and old properties can hold valuable deductions. These deductions can be found in houses, townhouses, and apartments whether they are brand new or were built over twenty years ago.   This is possible due to capital works being claimed over 40 years, including structural renovations by previous owners.

Fact 5. Site inspections are key 

In-person site inspections are crucial in maximizing compliant claims. Both the National Tax and Accountants’ Association (NTAA) and the Australian Institute of Quantity Surveyors (AIQS) recognize that physical site inspections are essential to claiming maximum compliant deductions. Without a site inspection, deductions can often be missed, and errors can occur on depreciation schedules, resulting in lost claims.

BMT Tax Depreciation specialist site inspectors conduct a site inspection for every property, which ensures an accurate tax depreciation schedule is completed that maximizes deductions and is ATO compliant. 

To learn more about depreciation contact BMT on 1300 728 726 or Request a Quote.