Can consultants claim home office expenses?

Yes, if working from a dedicated home office. This can include a portion of running costs, and depreciation on office furniture and equipment. Accurate record-keeping of hours worked from home or actual expenses is required to substantiate the claim.

What travel expenses can a consultant claim?

Travel directly related to client work — visiting client sites, attending industry events, travelling between work locations — is generally deductible. Commuting between home and a regular workplace is not, though there are exceptions for genuine home-office-based consultants.

How should a consultant track deductible expenses throughout the year?

Through a properly set up Xero file with bank feeds and consistent categorisation, rather than trying to reconstruct a year of expenses from memory at tax time. This is one of the clearest, lowest-effort ways a bookkeeper adds value for a consultant.

Tax Deductions Consultants Often Miss

Q: Is professional development tax deductible for consultants?

Generally yes, where it maintains or improves skills directly connected to current income-earning activities. Courses, conferences, professional memberships and relevant subscriptions are commonly deductible, though courses leading to entirely new, unrelated qualifications may not be.

Published June 2026By True Tally Bookkeeping6 min read

Home Office: More Than Most Consultants Realise

Working from a dedicated home office opens up deductions for a portion of running costs, plus depreciation on office furniture and equipment. The catch is substantiation — accurate records of hours worked from home or actual expenses are required, not a rough estimate at tax time.

Professional Development Usually Qualifies

Courses, conferences, professional memberships and relevant subscriptions are generally deductible where they maintain or improve skills directly connected to current income-earning work. The distinction that catches people out is courses leading to an entirely new, unrelated qualification — these typically aren't deductible the same way.

        Common missed deduction: professional membership and subscription renewals, which consultants often pay personally and forget to claim because they don't think to categorise them as a business expense.
      

Travel: Client Work Yes, Commuting No

Travel directly related to client work — site visits, industry events, travel between work locations — is generally deductible. Ordinary commuting between home and a regular workplace isn't, though there are exceptions for home-office-based consultants whose circumstances differ from a standard commute.

Equipment and Technology

Laptops, software subscriptions, and other equipment used for consulting work are generally deductible, with smaller items expensed immediately and larger purchases depreciated, depending on current thresholds.

The Real Fix: Track as You Go

The best way to capture all of this isn't a memory exercise at tax time — it's a properly set up Xero file with bank feeds and consistent categorisation throughout the year. This is one of the clearest, lowest-effort ways a bookkeeper adds value for a consultant.

True Tally — bookkeeping for Melbourne consultants

We help Melbourne consultants track deductible expenses properly throughout the year, not reconstruct them at tax time. Book a free call to talk through your setup.

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