Can I claim internet when working from home?

You may claim eligible work-related internet costs you incur, but not the private share. If you use the WFH fixed-rate method, internet is already covered and cannot be claimed again separately. ATO: home internet expenses.

General information for Australian employees. Official sources checked 6 September 2026. Check the rules for your claim year and ask a registered tax agent where your circumstances need individual advice.

Work out a household work share

Your work use needs evidence. The ATO describes a continuous four-week record representing normal use as a practical way to calculate a share. Account for household use, changing work patterns and periods without work use. If the plan includes other services, separate their costs rather than claiming the same percentage of the whole bundle. ATO: usage records and bundled plans.

Working from home two days a week does not establish that two-sevenths of all household internet use is work. Streaming, gaming and other people’s usage can change that relationship.

Example: a monthly bill

Illustrative actual-cost example: an $80 monthly internet service with a supported 25% work share gives a $20 work component for that month. Only extend this to other months when the records and circumstances support doing so. It is a deduction component, not a $20 tax refund.

Keep the original $80 bill and your usage working. Do not replace the bill’s total with $20 when recording the purchase.

Put recurring internet receipts to work

In The Paper Keep, collect the bill emails, review the category suggestion and use a Home internet category. Tag line items wfh-internet or work-use-review, then note the period covered by your usage evidence.

Map eligible AUD bills to Internet in the WFH estimator and enter the supported percentage. A bill with entertainment services needs review before the model applies one percentage to its entire total. Keep that calculation separately if the bill cannot be represented faithfully by the model.

What the fixed rate changes

The fixed rate combines internet with other covered expenses. It is not a base amount to which you add every work bill. Compare methods using their records and conditions, and check the rate for the year you are claiming. ATO: fixed-rate method.

The app’s category-based deductible total sums whole receipts. Marking Home internet deductible does not automatically apply your 25% work share. Leave it in review until you reconcile the claim, and do not add its total to a WFH estimate.

Keep the explanation with the evidence

Save a note when you change plans, take extended leave or receive an employer reimbursement. At year end, review the bills by tax year and export the receipt records. The CSV includes notes and tag names, but does not calculate your internet apportionment. If your bill includes a mobile service, read the phone guide too.

Compare another item in our WFH expense guides.