Guide to Claiming Tax on Your Investment Property

The Australian Tax Office (ATO) revealed that nearly two thirds of Australia’s homeowners are reporting a tax loss on investment properties at a cost of $1.3 billion.

Property investment taxes are complex and the ATO uses a complicated set of calculations to ensure that you are not over-claiming on your tax return. No one will ever tell you if you have under-claimed though, so it’s important to get your calculations right the first time.

Here are some things to watch out for so that the ATO doesn’t catch you out:

• Don’t claim improvements as repairs because they are not the same thing. You can claim a return for repairs, but an improvement is an investment.
• Depreciation will apply to everything except the land value, so you will need to factor this in.
• The building cost can be included in your return and a $200,000 home can easily offer $5,000 in returns.

The cost of travelling to your property to maintain it can be claimed, but if you are visiting for a holiday then the ATO will call you up on this.

Source: http://www.news.com.au/realestate/experts/tax-advice-for-property-investors/story-fneofxxf-1226690323391