Simple Tax Deductions Guide for Hairdressers, Beauticians and Nail Technicians

Are you missing out on tax deductions as a hairdresser or beauty professional in Australia? You may be eligible to claim more work-related expenses than you realise. 

Make sure you are taking advantage of all the claims you are eligible for with our simple tax deductions guide. Whether you are a hairdresser, nail technician, makeup artist, barber, or other beauty professional, we created this guide for you.

Our Tax Return and Deduction Checklist for Hairdressers, Beauticians, and Nail Technicians

We know it can be confusing to understand what you can and can’t claim as a hairdresser or beauty professional. We created our tax deduction checklist to help simplify the process and make it easy to know what expenses you are eligible to claim.

Our simple tax deduction checklist for hairdressers and beauty professionals will explain:

• The ATO’s rules and regulations for claiming deductions as a hairdresser, beautician, or nail technician
• What work-related expenses you can claim
• What hairdressers and beauty professionals can’t claim in Australia
• Considerations for hairdressers and beauty professionals when lodging their tax return
• Insider tax tips for hairdressers and beauty professionals

What Hairdressers, Beauticians, and Nail Technicians CAN and CAN’T Claim At a Glance

Hairdressers, Beauticians, and Nail Technicians: What You Can Claim 

Before we get into what hairdressers and beauticians can and can’t claim, memorise these three golden rules from the ATO:

• You must have made the purchase yourself and not received reimbursement
• The expense must be directly related to earning your income
• You must provide proof of the purchase (such as a receipt or bank statement) to the ATO

Self-Education and Study Expenses

You can claim expenses related to industry-specific education and training. Examples for a hairdresser or beauty professional include a cutting course, advanced colouring training, or attending a beauty expo.

To claim self-education and study expenses as a hairdresser, beauty technician, or nail technician, the deduction must meet these criteria:

• Be a course or training directly related to your current job
• Be directly related to earning your income
• Not pertain to switching careers
• Include knowledge or skills needed for advancing your current career (i.e. training on current colouring techniques or hairdresser trends)
• Result (or likely result) in an increase in your income from your current employment

Vehicle and Travel Expenses

If you travel between two different employers on the same day, this is an eligible travel expense. The cost of traveling to industry-specific training can also be claimed.

Regular travel to and from your workplace is not an eligible expense.

Clothing Expenses

A compulsory uniform or necessary protective clothing or footwear can be claimed. The uniform must be required by your employer and feature company-specific emblems or logos.

If the protective clothing, footwear, or uniforms are supplied by your employer, you cannot claim them.

Tools and Equipment

You may be eligible to claim tools or equipment you purchase to earn your income. Be sure to save all receipts and do not claim purchases you are reimbursed for. You also cannot claim any tools or equipment supplied to you by your employer.

Other Deductions

Other deductions you may be eligible for as a beauty professional include:

• Union or professional association fees
• Professional or technical publications, such as magazines, subscriptions, or journals, directly related to your industry and employment
• Personal protective equipment not supplied by your employer and required for close contact with customers, such as face masks or gloves
• Costs for laundering occupation-specific clothing or compulsory uniforms
• Phone and internet expenses related to work-related usage (your employer must not provide the phone)

For a printable version of our simple tax deductions for hairdressers, beauticians, and hairdressers, see our guide here: ITG_Hairdresser or Beauty Therapist.

For more printable, industry-specific tax deduction checklists, browse our Tax Return Checklists – Industry-Specific Guides to Tax.

Hairdressers, Beauticians, and Nail Technicians: What You Can’t Claim

Here are examples of deductions hairdressers, beauticians, and nail technicians cannot claim:

• Costs associated with personal care and grooming, such as beauty products or cosmetics, even if you are expected to be well-groomed at work
• Self-education expenses, training, or career courses that are not directly related to earning your income
• Expenses for courses or training related to switching careers
• Any expense you receive reimbursement for
• Everyday business clothing without company emblems/logos
• Mortgage, insurance costs, or rent (even if you work from home)
• Childcare fees
• Tools or equipment provided by your employer
• Donations to non-registered charities
• Travel costs from your home to your workplace, even if it is long-distance
• Entertainment, work parties, or social events
• Traffic fines, speeding fines, late fees, parking tickets or expenses, or other violations while driving for work
• Home office expenses without a dedicated workspace
• Employer contributions to your superannuation fund
• Private expenses, such as gym or fitness memberships, medical costs, prescription glasses, or life insurance premiums
• Driver’s licence fees

For exact details on what hairdressers, beauticians, and nail technicians can and can’t claim, we recommend this resource: ATO Tax Time Guide: If you’re a hairdresser or beauty therapist it pays to learn what you can claim.

Important Considerations for Hairdressers, Beauticians and Nail Technicians when Doing their tax return

Keep these deduction considerations in mind to lodge an accurate, stress-free tax return as a hairdresser, beautician, or nail technician:

• Include all sources of income (salary, bonuses, commissions, wages) from the financial year
• Stay up to date on ATO’s current tax laws
• Keep an accurate car logbook for any vehicle expenses claimed for work-related travel
• Take advantage of the helpful myDeductions tool, an ATO app that is full of convenient tax tools
• Store bank statements, invoices, receipts, and credit card statements for work-related expenses in a designated area or keep digital proof of expenses
• Do not claim a work-related expense if you receive reimbursement for it
• We recommend lodging your return by the end of July to avoid the unnecessary pressure of filing last-minute

3 Tax Tips for Hairdressers and Beauty Professionals

Here are 3 insider tax tips for hairdressers, beauticians, and nail technicians:

• Hairdresser Tax Tip #1: Work with a registered tax professional
• Hairdresser Tax Tip #2: Keep detailed proof and accurate records of all work-related expenses
• Hairdresser Tax Tip #3: Correct any mistakes right away

Hairdresser or Beauty Tech Tax Tip #1: Register with a Tax Professional

A tax professional knows all the current tax regulations and laws, how to maximise claims, and how to lodge a 100% accurate return. Rather than worrying about tax regulations and whether or not you can claim an expense, a tax professional can take the dread out of tax time.

At Tax Return AU, we’ve helped hundreds of Australian professionals lodge timely, accurate returns. We offer a convenient, stress-free process and guarantee a mistake-free return. Rather than wondering “Why is my tax return so low?”, we can ensure you get the maximum refund you are entitled to.

 IT Professional Tax Tip #2. Maintain Detailed Expense Records and Valid Proof

Even if an expense is eligible to be claimed, you must provide valid proof to the ATO. Without proof, such as an invoice or receipt, you are no longer eligible to claim the deduction.

We recommend saving and organizing all bank statements, credit card statements, receipts, and invoices for any work-related expenses. You can save physical copies or photos to maintain detailed records.

Make sure the receipt or invoice clearly indicates:

• The name of the supplier
• Amount of the expense
• Nature of the services or goods
• Date of payment
• Date of the document

*Note: For expenses under $10, you are not required to keep a receipt as long as the expenses do not add up to more than $200. 

Hairdresser and Beauty Tech Tax Tip #3:  Correct Any Mistakes Immediately

The ATO understands that mistakes happen when lodging tax returns. However, the ATO is strict about imposing fines and penalties for inflated deductions, false claims, and mistakes.

Notifying the ATO immediately of any mistakes can help minimise penalties and fees and keep you in good standing with the ATO.

If you lodge your own tax return and realise you misspelled something or reported incorrect expenses, notify the ATO immediately. You can also work with a tax professional to help rectify mistakes on your behalf. A registered tax professional can assist you in making any necessary amendments to your return and communicating with the ATO.

If you want to eliminate any worry about making tax mistakes, consider registering with a licensed tax professional. Our tax specialists at Tax Return AU guarantee a return that is 100% accurate and lodged on time.

To avoid common tax mistakes, we created this guide: Tax Filing Errors to Dodge: Expert Tips for Avoiding Common Mistakes.

Register with Our Certified Tax Accountants for a Stress-Free Tax Season

We hope these tax tips help ease some of the burden of tax season and get you the maximum refund amount you are eligible for.

We are committed to helping Australians realize that tax season can be easy and stress-free. Our licensed Australian tax accountants guarantee a return that is:

• 100% accurate and compliant with all ATO regulations
• The maximum refund you are entitled to
• Convenient and stress-free
• Completed online in just a few easy steps

Contact us to get started on your instant online tax refund in just a few simple steps. Get in touch by emailing our licensed tax professionals at support@taxreturn.com.au, phoning us on 0499 829 829 (0499 TAX TAX), or filling out our online contact form.