Sunshine Coast Tax Depreciation
ACCORD Quantity Surveyors

What is Tax Depreciation Capital Expenses

For the most part, you cannot deduct spending on your assets immediately as it must happen over time. Effective use of tax depreciation on capital expenses, whether you run a business in Birtinya, on the Sunshine Coast, or anywhere in Australia starts by understanding how it works. Depreciation applies if you run a business, have employees who use their own tools and equipment, or invest in real estate properties.

Most assets will depreciate over time. The exceptions include trading stocks, intangible assets, and land which tends to grow in value over time in most cases. Otherwise, a depreciating asset is generally one that can age, i.e. property:  units, houses &  shops, or is surpassed by new technology such as tools, devices, equipment, and the like.

How Depreciation Works

Basically, you own the asset to be entitled to deductions based on depreciation. However, if you engage in a hire purchase arrangement, then the hire and not the owner can benefit from the depreciation. This should not be confused with deductions of business partnerships where the partnership itself and not the individual owners will benefit.

To properly deduct from a depreciating asset, you have to record its original cost and any expenses due to transportation, instillation, and any repairs that are carried out when the asset was installed.

For assets that have aged or been surpassed by new technologies, you can use the general rules of depreciation to calculate their new value. You can usually write off the following.

- Items Valued up to $100 that Earn Income

- Items Valued up to $300 that Earn Income apart from the Business

The latter generally includes tools and equipment provided by the employees. In addition, smaller businesses may be able to write off more than $100 for items that they own which earn income. Apart from the instant write-off, there are other rules at work.

Additional Business Expenses:

These are expenses outside the normal operation of a business. Such as creating or ending a business along with expenses incurred for completing a project.

Capital Works:

These are written off over several years, generally longer than other assets that depreciate. Another aspect of deductions associated with depreciation is how much you use the asset over time. Plus, in what capacity is the asset used. For example, if a particular asset is used 75% of the time for business purposes, but 25% of the time for personal use, then you can only deduct 60% of the total depreciation for that year.

This means you need to keep careful records and follow the depreciation rules, so that you can maximize its usage on your taxes. Additional effects on depreciation occur when a tool, device, or equipment has been surpassed by new items that make the old ones even less valuable.

If you run a business in Birtinya, on the Sunshine Coast, or anywhere in Australia, it pays to learn the fundamentals of tax depreciation. The more you know, the better you can utilize this aspect of the tax code to maximize your capital expenses.

For your questions regarding Tax Depreciation Contact Bobby. Bobby is the authority on the Sunshine Coast.