✈️ Occupation guide

Pilot 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"Uniforms, CASA licence fees, medical certificates, chart subscriptions, aviation headset, self-education. Scan the receipt the day you get it and June takes care of itself."

What you can claim

Uniforms.
CASA licence renewal fees.
Medical certificate costs.
Aeronautical chart subscriptions.
Aviation headset (work-use portion).
Self-education (type ratings, recurrency training).
Union fees.

What you cannot claim

Home to airport.
Ordinary clothing.
Personal grooming.

Apportionment: the part most people get wrong

Equipment used privately — work-use percentage only. 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

CASA licence docs, medical certificates, receipts. 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?

CASA licence docs, medical certificates, receipts. Keep them for five years from when you lodge.

How do I split work and personal use?

Equipment used privately — work-use percentage only. 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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