📺 Occupation guide

Media professional tax deductions: what you can claim

What you can claim, what you cannot, and the records the ATO expects. Written in plain English and updated for the 2025–26 financial year.

Oscar says"Camera/audio equipment, editing software, subscriptions, home office, phone, union fees. Scan the receipt the day you get it and June takes care of itself."

What you can claim

Camera, audio, video equipment — work proportion.
Editing software subscriptions.
Industry publications.
Home office if working from home.
Phone and internet — work portion.
Union fees (MEAA).
Self-education.

What you cannot claim

Personal equipment.
Home to studio.
Gym.

Apportionment: the part most people get wrong

Equipment work-use percentage. Phone diary. If an expense is part work and part personal, you claim the work percentage only, and the ATO expects you to show how you worked it out.

Records you need to keep

Receipts, MEAA invoices. A claim without a receipt or tax invoice behind it is a claim you may have to repay if the ATO asks.

Common questions

What records do I need to keep?

Receipts, MEAA invoices. Keep them for five years from when you lodge.

How do I split work and personal use?

Equipment work-use percentage. Phone diary. Claim the work proportion only.

Oscar already knows these rules

Pick your occupation once, then scan, email, or forward receipts. Oscar classifies each one against these exact ATO rules and tells you what it is worth. Free to start.

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