About the author xi How to use this book xiii Introduction xv PART I: YOU AND YOUR FAMILY 1 1 Marriage 2 2 Income splitting 4 3 Dependant (invalid and carer) tax offset 6 4 Children 8 5 Paid parental leave 10 6 Dad and partner pay 11 7 Child care 12 8 Low-income earners 14 9 Senior and pensioner tax offset 16 10 Other government benefits 18 11 Family breakdown 21 12 Death 23 13 Trusts 25 PART II YOUR EMPLOYMENT 29 14 Car usage 30 15 Methods to claim car travel 33 16 Travel 35 17 Uniform 37 18 Home office 39 19 Other work-related deductions 42 20 Keeping those receipts 44 21 ATO hit lists 46 22 Redundancy 49 23 Working a second job 51 24 Salary sacrifice 53 25 Fringe benefits 55 26 Living-away-from-home allowance 59 PART III YOUR EDUCATION 63 27 Claiming self-education expenses 64 28 The $250 threshold 66 29 Self-development courses 68 30 Higher Education Loan Program 70 31 Student Financial Supplement Scheme 72 32 Austudy and ABSTUDY 74 33 Trade Support Loans 77 34 Scholarships 78 35 School building funds 80 36 Education savings plans 82 37 Other government assistance 84 PART IV YOUR INVESTMENT PROPERTY 87 38 Negative gearing 89 39 Interest 91 40 Depreciation 94 41 Low-value pooling 96 42 Repairs and maintenance 98 43 Borrowing expenses 100 44 Legal expenses 102 45 Other rental property deductions 103 46 Foreign investment properties 106 47 Capital gains tax 108 48 PAYG withholding variation 110 49 Property genuinely available for rent 112 PART V YOUR SHARES 115 50 Dividends 116 51 Franking credits 119 52 Dividend reinvestment plans 121 53 Lower income earners 122 54 Borrowing to buy shares 125 55 Other allowable deductions 127 56 Shares and capital gains tax 128 57 Realising capital losses 130 58 Inheriting share portfolios 132 59 Share traders versus share investors 134 60 Rights and options 136 61 Employee share schemes 138 62 Share portfolios within self managed superannuation funds 140 63 Cryptocurrency 142 PART VI YOUR SUPERANNUATION 147 64 Contribution limits 150 65 Compulsory employer contributions 153 66 Salary sacrifice 156 67 Super co-contribution 159 68 Transferring foreign super 162 69 Self managed superannuation funds 164 70 Buying property within SMSFs 167 71 Gearing through a super fund 170 72 Accessing your super 173 73 Transition to retirement 175 74 Account-based pensions 177 75 Death benefits 179 76 Lost or unclaimed super 181 PART VII YOUR BUSINESS 185 77 Choosing the right business structure 187 78 Tax obligations 191 79 Record keeping 193 80 Deferring tax 196 81 Trading stock 198 82 Bad debts 200 83 Home-based businesses 201 84 Employing people 204 85 Tax concessions and offsets 207 86 Selling or closing down 210 87 Personal services income 212 88 Non-commercial losses 213 89 Franchising 215 PART VIII MISCELLANEOUS 217 90 Overseas income 217 91 Getting a great accountant 220 92 Lodging your tax return 222 93 Amending returns and objecting to assessments 225 94 ATO data matching 227 95 Problems paying your tax 230 96 Medical expenses tax offset 231 97 Levies 234 98 Zone and overseas forces tax offsets 236 99 Tax-effective investments 238 100 Tax planning as a 365-day process 240 101 Just do it! 241 Glossary 245 Bibliography 261 Index 263.