Tax deductions for teachers in 2026: what you can claim

Ask any teacher how much of the classroom they've paid for themselves and the list runs long: the books, the art supplies, the prizes, the resources that never made the school budget. A lot of that is deductible, along with the training, registration and marking that come home with you, and a lot of it goes unclaimed each year. What decides each claim is whether the cost served your teaching or served your private life.

The test behind every claim

A claim only holds up when three things are true at once. You paid for it out of your own pocket and the school never reimbursed you, it connects directly to the teaching that earns your pay, and you kept a record.

Miss any one and the deduction falls away, however much it felt like part of the job. When something does double duty, say the tablet you mark on at night and stream shows on at the weekend, you claim only the slice that was for teaching.

Classroom resources

Teaching materials you buy for your class are deductible: books, stationery, art and craft supplies, prizes, and the odds and ends you use to run the room. Smaller items come off in full in the year you buy them.

If you use something for both class and home, you claim only the work share.

Home, registration and training

Several ongoing costs are deductible and easy to overlook. The hours you spend marking and preparing lessons at home can be claimed under the ATO's fixed-rate method, which covers your home running costs, as long as you keep a record of the hours. Your teacher registration renewal and your union or professional association fees are deductible in full. So is self-education with a genuine connection to your current role, like professional development or a course that builds on what you already teach. Your phone and internet are claimable in their work-related share.

The deductions that get missed

Across a school year, the small out-of-pocket costs quietly add up:

What you can't claim

Some costs sit close to the classroom but the ATO still treats them as private:

• Your commute. Home to school and back is private, however far it is.
• Everyday clothing. Ordinary clothes aren't deductible, even an outfit you keep only for school.
• Childcare. The cost of minding your own children while you work is private.
• Getting qualified. Your teaching degree and the first registration that let you stand in front of a class were what it took to land the role, not to teach in it day to day.

Hold onto every classroom receipt

A term of small purchases is easy to lose track of: the receipt from the craft shop, the out-of-pocket from the excursion, the registration renewal buried in your inbox. The ATO wants written evidence of what you spent, a log of the hours you marked and planned at home, and a note of how you split any work use on your phone or laptop. The fix is to catch each cost the moment it happens, in the car park after the supplies run, rather than rebuilding a whole year the weekend before you lodge, which is where genuine deductions quietly vanish. The ATO's free myDeductions app will keep the basics in one place.

The bottom line

There's a lot a teacher can claim, but only for what you funded yourself, put to use earning your pay, and can back up with a record. Say yes to the classroom resources, the excursion out-of-pockets, the hours spent marking at the kitchen table, and your registration and union fees. Say no to the drive to school, your everyday wardrobe, and the degree that got you registered in the first place. Sort what belongs on each list, hold onto the paperwork, and the tax you pay lands where it should, on what you genuinely owe.

Related: deductions by occupation · income tax calculator. General information only, not tax advice. Check the ATO or a registered tax agent for your situation.