Reminder - Education Tax Refund
A key part of the Rudd government’s Education Revolution, The Education Tax Refund, is available to help parents meet the costs of some of your children’s education and provide some much needed relief with refunds of up to:
- $375.00 per primary school student, and
- $750.00 per secondary school student.
Who is eligible?
All families receiving Family Tax Benefit (Part A) with children in primary or secondary school or whose school children receive Youth Allowance or another relevant payment will be eligible for the Education Tax Refund that will be paid from July 1, this year.
The Education Tax Refund will apply to some of the most common educational items, including:
- Laptop computers;
- Home computers and associated costs;
- Home internet connections;
- Printers;
- Educational software;
- Trade tools for use at school;
- School text books and stationery
You cannot claim for:
- School fees and uniform expenses
- Tutoring costs and school subject levies
- Student attendance at school-based, extracurricular activities such as excursions.
- Musical instruments and sporting equipment
- Computer Games and Consoles
- Library book fees
- School Photos
- Donations
- Tuckshop expenses
- Waiting list and membership fees and building levies
- Transport costs.
Parents should keep their receipts for items purchased after July 2008.
How much can you claim?
If you have kept your receipts, eligible families will be able to claim a 50% refund for key education expenses up to:
- $750.00 for each child undertaking primary studies (maximum refund of $375 per child, per year); and
- $1500.00 for each child undertaking secondary studies (maximum refund of $750 per child, per year). Please note that students who progressed from Primary to Secondary studies during the preceding 12 months will be assessed as Secondary students for the full year.
Where a family has educational costs in excess of the refund limit for the year, any excess can go towards your following year’s refund claim as long as you are still eligible.
How do you claim the Education Tax Refund?
Parents can make their claim through their tax return at the end of the financial year. For those who are not required to complete an income tax return, a separate form – the Education tax refund claim 2009 – will be available from the Australian Taxation Office from 1 July 2009.
