EOFY moves: what you can (and can't) claim on tax in 2026

By Andrew Editor, Easy Peasy Moving Guide · Reviewed by Mauricio (VIC Operations) and Camilo (NSW Operations)

Every June, customers ask us to add a line to their invoice that says "for tax purposes." We always tell them the same thing: save the time. The ATO's position on moving expenses is one of the clearest in the entire tax code, and it's not the answer most people want.

The headline answer

Removalist costs for personal moves are not tax deductible. Not when you move for a job. Not when your employer transfers you. Not when you take a promotion in another city. Not when you're in your second year on the job. The ATO is unambiguous on this and has been for decades.

The exact wording from the ATO's own page on Removal and relocation costs: "You can't claim a deduction for removal or relocation costs to transfer or relocate for work purposes."

That's it. Not buried in a footnote. Front-page text on the ATO website. The end-of-year question that fills our inbox every June has a four-word answer: no, you can't.

Why the answer is no

The ATO's reasoning is consistent with how the broader deduction framework works. To be deductible under section 8-1 of the Income Tax Assessment Act 1997, an expense must be incurred in earning your assessable income — there has to be a sufficient connection between the spend and the income.

Moving costs don't have that connection. They're incurred to get into a position to earn income at a new location. The ATO has long classed them as private or domestic in nature, the same category as buying clothes for work, your mortgage, or your weekly groceries. You can't deduct your rent and you can't deduct the move that put you in the position to pay it.

Older guidance — including Taxation Ruling TR 95/8, which was withdrawn on 19 June 2025 — set out related rules about employment-related expenses. The position on moves themselves has never wavered.

The four scenarios people ask about

Same answer, different paths to get there. Here's the breakdown.

What you actually can claim around an EOFY move

The headline is gloomy but there are legitimate adjacent deductions for some taxpayers. None of them are the move itself.

Home office setup at the new place — if you legitimately work from home, the cost of running and maintaining a home office (a portion of utilities, depreciation on a desk and chair) follows the standard rules. The setup costs of moving the home office aren't deductible, but the ongoing costs at the new address are.

Investment property running costs — if you're moving out of a property you'll now rent, ordinary rental expenses (interest on the loan, property management fees, repairs, depreciation) become deductible from the date the property is genuinely available for rent. The cost of getting your stuff out, however, is not.

Self-employed business relocation — if you're a sole trader or business owner moving the business itself (not just yourself), some costs may be deductible against business income depending on structure. Get specific advice. The ATO is more willing to allow business move costs than personal ones, but the line is genuinely fact-dependent.

Stationery and supplies for the new role — uniforms, tools, or supplies required for a new job follow the standard work-expense rules. They're not "moving costs" in the ATO sense — they're work-related expenses that happen to coincide with the move.

What about employer-paid relocations?

This is the productive question, and the only place where money is genuinely on the table.

Under the Fringe Benefits Tax framework, an employer can sometimes provide relocation benefits to an employee with reduced or zero FBT impact, depending on whether the relocation falls within specific exemptions. The most relevant ones cover genuine relocations where the employee is required to live near a new workplace, and reasonable removal/relocation expenses are paid by the employer.

Practical version: when you negotiate a new job that involves a move, ask for relocation costs to be paid directly by the employer (not as a salary top-up). The employer's tax adviser can structure this so the cost lands on the employer's books rather than yours, often without creating a tax problem. This is the most common way Australian executives and senior hires actually get moving costs covered.

For most renters, students, and people moving for personal reasons (or because they got a regular new job), this option doesn't apply. The cost is yours, and so is the post-tax burden of paying for it.

The one EOFY move tip that actually saves money

Time the move strategically. Not for a tax deduction — for the actual price of the move.

Late June is the busiest moving period of the year because lease cycles, settlement dates, and end-of-financial-year operations all converge. Removalist demand is at its annual peak. So are prices. Booking 5+ weeks in advance for a late-June move locks in the lower rate. Booking 7-10 days out forces you onto the premium tier, where Sunday surcharges and end-of-month uplifts compound.

For Melbourne pricing context, see our Melbourne removalist cost pillar. For Sydney, our Sydney pricing pillar. Both explain why mid-week mid-month is half the cost of late-June Saturday.

Saving $400-$800 on the actual cost of the move beats hunting for a non-existent tax deduction. The maths is clearer and the outcome is real.

The bottom line

For personal moves — including those required by your employer — removalist costs are not tax deductible. They never have been in any meaningful way and the ATO's position hasn't changed in 2026. The only narrow exception is asset relocation between investment properties, and even that requires specific circumstances.

The honest EOFY moving advice is unglamorous: don't expect a tax break, do book early to lock in a non-peak rate, and if your employer is involved in the move, negotiate them paying directly rather than reimbursing you. That's where the actual money sits.

Talk to your accountant. The above is a removalist's summary of public ATO guidance, not personalised tax advice.