28/05/2026
Own an Airbnb? Donโt make these tax mistakesโฆ
๐๐ถ๐ฟ๐ฏ๐ป๐ฏ ๐ถ๐ป๐ฐ๐ผ๐บ๐ฒ ๐ถ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐
๐ฎ๐ฏ๐น๐ฒ ๐ถ๐ป ๐๐๐๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐น๐ถ๐ฎ
If you earn money from Airbnb, the ATO generally treats it as assessable income - whether you rent out a spare room or the whole property.
What you need to declare: Include all Airbnb income in your tax return, such as
โข Guest rental payments
โข Cleaning fees
โข Other fees charged to guests
What expenses you may be able to claim: Your deductions depend on how much of the property is rented out and whether you also use it privately.
๐ฌ๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฑ๐ ๐บ๐ฎ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ข๐ค๐ง๐ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ป ๐๐ผ๐ ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ป๐ธ
At every step of the way, you should keep detailed records of both income and expenses.
This includes:
โข All income received from Airbnb rentals
โข Costs related to your Airbnb activities
โข Dates the property was available for rent
โข Periods of personal use vs. rental use
Remember: The ATO requires you to keep these records for at least five years.
๐๐ถ๐ฟ๐ฏ๐ป๐ฏ ๐ต๐ผ๐๐๐ ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ป ๐ฐ๐น๐ฎ๐ถ๐บ ๐ฎ ๐ซ๐๐ง๐๐๐ฉ๐ฎ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ฎ๐
๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฑ๐๐ฐ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐
As an Airbnb host, you can claim a variety of tax deductions related to your rental activities. This is in addition to any other tax benefits for which you are eligible.
โข Direct expenses: Fully deductible costs incurred for your Airbnb rental (e.g. cleaning fees, guest amenities).
โข Indirect expenses: Costs associated with owning/maintaining the Airbnb. If you rent out your entire property, these are fully deductible. For partial rentals, youโll need to apportion these expenses. Examples include utility bills & mortgage interest.
โข Depreciation: You can claim the decline in the value of furniture (e.g. beds), appliances (e.g. washing machines) and fittings used for your Airbnb.
Note: These expenses may be fully deductible if the property is only used for Airbnb. If you also use it privately, expenses need to be apportioned based on the number of days the property was used for rent or personal use, so good records and receipts are important.
๐ฌ๐ผ๐ ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ปโ๐ ๐ฐ๐น๐ฎ๐ถ๐บ ๐๐ซ๐๐ง๐ฎ๐ฉ๐๐๐ฃ๐
While you can claim many Airbnb costs, there are many expenses that you canโt claim.
This includes:
โข Expenses related to personal use of the property
โข Costs of purchasing the property (e.g. stamp duty & legal fees for property acquisition)
โข Capital gains tax when selling the property
โข Expenses which guests have reimbursed
๐๐ฝ๐ฝ๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฒ๐
๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ฒ๐: ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ผ๐ป๐ฎ๐น ๐ซ๐จ ๐ฏ๐๐๐ถ๐ป๐ฒ๐๐ ๐๐๐ฒ
If you use your property for both personal and Airbnb purposes, youโll need to apportion your expenses accordingly.
The ATO recommends using a reasonable method to calculate the deductible portion based on your private versus rental use.
๐๐ณ ๐๐ผ๐โ๐ฑ ๐น๐ถ๐ธ๐ฒ ๐ฒ๐
๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ ๐๐๐ฝ๐ฝ๐ผ๐ฟ๐, ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ป๐๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ ๐๐ ๐ผ๐ป ๐ญ๐ฏ๐ฌ๐ฌ ๐ณ๐ด๐ฐ ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐๐ผ ๐๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ป ๐ต๐ฒ๐น๐ฝ ๐ฌ๐ข๐จ ๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ ๐๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฒ.
