Earning income from the sharing economy

Posted on Dec 20, 2017 by Accounting Directions

The holiday season is a peak time for activities in the sharing economy to increase. During this time those participating in the sharing economy must not forget their tax obligations.

The most common sharing economy activities around the festive season include:
– Providing ride-sourcing services for a fare.
– Completing jobs or errands for payment.
– Renting out a room or a whole house or unit.
– Renting out a vehicle or a car parking space.

Depending on the activity, the tax obligations vary. The ATO is reminding those that participate in the sharing economy to consider the following:
– declaring income in their tax return
– what income tax deductions and GST credits they can claim for expenses related to earning income and what they can’t claim because of personal use
– how all of their sharing economy earnings added together affect their income tax and GST obligations
– keeping records of their income and expenses to meet their tax obligations