The Technology Investment Boost is a 120% tax deduction for expenditure incurred on business expenses and depreciating assets that support digital adoption, such as portable payment devices, cyber security systems, or subscriptions to cloud-based services.
The boost is capped at $100,000 per income year with a maximum deduction of $20,000.
To be eligible for the bonus deduction:
- The expenditure must be eligible for deduction (salary and wage costs are excluded for the purpose of these rules)
- The expenditure must have been incurred between 7.30pm (AEST), 29 March 2022 and 30 June 2023
- If the expenditure is on a depreciating asset, the asset must be first used or installed ready for use by 30 June 2023.
To be eligible, the expenditure must be wholly or substantially for the entity’s digital operations or digitising its operations. For example:
- digital enabling items – computer and telecommunications hardware and equipment, software, systems and services that form and facilitate the use of computer networks;
- digital media and marketing – audio and visual content that can be created, accessed, stored or viewed on digital devices; and
- e-commerce – supporting digitally ordered or platform enabled online
Repair and maintenance costs can be claimed as long as the expenses meet the eligibility criteria
Where the expenditure has mixed use (i.e., partly private), the bonus deduction applies to the proportion of the expenditure that is for an assessable income producing purpose.
The bonus deduction is not intended to cover general operating costs relating to employing staff, raising capital, the construction of the business premises, and the cost of goods and services the business sells. The boost will not apply to:
- Assets that are sold while the boost is available
- Capital works costs (for example, improvements to a building used as business premises)
- Financing costs such as interest expenses
- Salary or wage costs
- Training or education costs
- Trading stock or the cost of trading stock
For example:
A Co Pty Ltd (A Co) is a small business entity. On 15 July 2022, A Co purchased multiple laptops to allow its employees to work from home. The total cost was $100,000 (GST-exclusive). The laptops were delivered on 19 July 2022 and immediately issued to staff entirely for business use. As the holder of the assets, A Co is entitled to claim a deduction for the depreciation of a capital expense.
A Co can claim the full purchase price of the laptops ($100,000) as a deduction under temporary full expensing in its 2022-23 income tax return. It can also claim the maximum $20,000 bonus deduction in its 2022-23 income tax return.
The $20,000 bonus deduction is not paid to the business in cash but is used to offset against A Co’s assessable income. If the company is in a loss position, then the bonus deduction would increase the tax loss. The cash value to the business of the bonus deduction will depend on whether it generates a taxable profit or loss during the relevant year and the rate of tax that applies.