By Nicole Pedersen-McKinnon
Will the prospect of a $2564 refund motivate you to finally do your tax return, if you haven’t already?
That’s the average paid back for the latest full year for which figures are available, 2014-2015, and Australian Tax Office Assistant Commissioner Kath Anderson says refunds are tracking similarly this year.
What’s more, 78 per cent of taxpayers – some 10 million Aussies – typically get one.
As the October 31 tax deadline looms large, here’s how you could turn the average $2564 refund into even more money.
Snare the same amount again
The average Aussie can treat the typical refund as a free kick to chunk off a fair amount of the mean credit card debt, which moneysmart.gov.au says is $4090.
At an average mozo-calculated interest rate of 17.21 per cent, repaying $2564 will save $7109 versus making only minimum monthly repayments of 2 or 2.5 per cent of your balance – and get you out of debt more than 20 years sooner.
Except I’m going to assume Money readers know that minimum repayments are set so ”helpfully” low to trap card holders in debt as long as possible, and see them repay a fortune.
Even those who today manage to tip $300 a month onto their card, however, stand to save $2713 in interest (and 10 months) by instead using their refund to ditch the debt.
Boost your ‘refund’ by $500
A quick clever trick this one … if you earn below $51,021, whack $1000 of your refund straight into super and you’ll snare a bonus up to $500 from the government.
This is under the co-contribution scheme, so the money goes directly into your super fund and you can get at it when you reach preservation age between 55 and 60.
Don’t forget there’s still more than $1500 of your refund to build on today, too.
Lift it by 50 per cent
You did well with the credit card strategy above but throw your $2564 refund against a mortgage and, due to its sheer size, you take that to a new level.
Stop letting the tax office use your money for most of a year, before you get it back.
If you’re on the average big bank advertised rate of 5.23 per cent for the average $370,500 Aussie mortgage – with apologies for ruining the mornings of Sydney-siders and Melbourne-ites – you’ll save $6348 in interest (a $3784 net saving).
At which point more than $2000 extra each month – your repayments – becomes yours!
There is also a beautiful thing when you use money to repay any debt; because you only ”effectively’ earn returns, they’re not just risk-free but also tax-free (you’re actually saving money).
Double your moolah
Stash $2564 cash into an online account and you’ll earn 3 per cent a year but you’ll have to be a rate tart.
At those paltry rates, without adding another cent, you’ll double your money in 23 years (and hopefully rates will increase over the period).
But find an investment that will deliver a total annual return of 8 per cent (bearing in mind investments come with the risk of losing money), and you’ll double your money in just under nine years.
Get protected … which is priceless
Were you slugged with a penalty for not having health insurance last year (the Medicare Levy Surcharge)? Then consider buying some – early in the tax year, so you actually get covered for the cost.
Do this by age 31 or you’ll pay more as well.
Get smart with ATO
Finally, get smart this year … by which I mean stop letting the tax office use your money for most of a year, before you get it back. Provided you receive a similar level of tax refund every year, fill out what’s called a PAYG withholding variation form today.
This splits your tax refund across every pay packet, from the very next one, rather than waiting a year to get what’s yours. How does a bonus $214 a month sound?
Tax-time deductions check list:
The key to getting the biggest tax refund in the first place is claiming the most deductions. Here are some you may not have considered.
Vehicle and travel expenses – Do you use your car for work? Travel between work in different locations? You may be in luck.
Clothing, laundry and dry-cleaning expenses – The crucial thing here is a uniform that’s ”unique and distinctive”. A company logo helps in this regard, as does an outfit specific to your occupation, like high-vis vests.
Gifts and donations – Organisations need to be classed by the ATO as deductible gift recipients and you need to have obtained no benefit … for example, raffle or art union tickets don’t qualify but your sponsorship of a Movember participant will. You need to have donated $2 or more.
Home office expenses – Provided expenses relate to work, and are not for private use, you could claim costs for your computer, phone or other electronic device and running expenses like internet service.
Interest, dividends and other investment deductions – Not just interest you’ve paid, but you could also claim account fees, the cost of investing magazines and subscriptions, internet access and depreciation on your computer.
Skilling-up expenses – An investment in your next career is an investment in yourself – and not tax deductible. However, if you’re studying something related to your current job, you should be able to claim course fees, textbooks, stationery, internet, home office expenses, professional journals, student union fees and some travel.
Tools and equipment – A bit like the last one, if you shell out for tools or equipment to help earn your income, you’ll be able to claim some or all of the cost. For instance, office equipment, safety equipment and protective gear (including sunscreen, sunglasses and hats if you work outside).
Other deductions – The list is quite extensive but main ones are union fees, the cost of managing tax affairs, income protection insurance (but not if it’s held in your super fund), overtime meals and, in some cases, personal super contributions (note you need to notify your super fund of your intention to claim in writing before you lodge your tax return for that financial year.
Source: The Sydney Morning Herald
