While some rental property expenses can be claimed straightaway, there are a number of expenses which are only deductible over a number of years says Matthew Mousa from TLK Partners.
Property Owners’ Claim Borrowing Expenses At Tax Time
While some rental property expenses can be claimed straightaway, there are a number of expenses which are only deductible over a number of years. Matthew Mousa, Partner and Adviser with TLK Partners, tries to ease your way through the minefield of these sorts of tax claims. The tax laws regarding rental property have changed recently, and it’s important that investment property owners get to understand the new regulations.
Borrowing Expenses are one of the three different types of expenses that the tax man expects you to deduct over an extended period of time. The others are the Depreciation of Assets and Capital Works Expenses.
There are certain unavoidable expenses that you will have to pay when you borrow money to purchase an investment property for extra rental income.
To start with, you will have to pay the institution that lends you the money for establishing the loan, and you will also have to pay a fee to the mortgage broker. You’ll also be charged for the lender searching for the title deed. Then the lender will send a building inspector to inspect the property and make a valuation. This expense will also be your responsibility.
That’s just the start: Preparing and filing the mortgage documents requires stamp duty on the documents, and the expense of this will be yours to carry. And, believe it or not, the lender’s mortgage insurance is also for your account.
These are all classified as borrowing expenses that are deductible over a number of years.
The insurance you are required to take out to cover your mortgage in the event of your death, disability, or unemployment.
The Stamp Duty that’s charged on the transfer of the property. This is not to be confused with the stamp duty on the mortgage documents, which is deductible.
If your total borrowing expenses are less than $100, you can claim the total amount in the year you took out the loan. However, if your total borrowing expenses are more than $100, you will have to deduct them over five years, or the length of the loan agreement, whichever is shorter. This means, if your loan is repayable over three years, the deductions are calculated over three years, and not five years. If you repay your loan earlier, you are allowed to deduct what’s left of the borrowing expenses in the year that you repaid the loan.
If you took out the loan during your first income year, you can only claim a proportional amount of the borrowing expenses you would normally claim for a full year. If you took out the loan, say, three months into the new tax year, you would only be able to claim 75% of what you would claim the next year, and every year thereafter, until the three or five year term is completed and the loan is paid off. The same proportional calculation will be necessary in the final year.
TLK Partners Wealth Management Companies Kingsgrove, Beverly Hills | Tax Accountant & Agent | Property Adviser are wealth advisers serving enterprises and private individuals who hope to take care of their future through sound financial management. Visit their website or contact them at (02) 8090 4324 for an appointment to discuss your financial management and investment needs.
This material is of a general nature only, it does not take into consideration your financial circumstances, needs or objectives. Before making any decision based on this content, you should assess your own circumstances, seek professional advice or contact our office to be directed to the appropriate professional. Whilst all care has been taken in presenting the material neither TLK Partners or its associated entities guarantee that the material is free of error and, the information may have changed since being published.
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