Tax deductions for security guards
As a security guard you can generally claim your licence renewal, compulsory uniforms and laundry, required equipment, and first-aid training.
Build your checklistSecurity work has a clear compliance backbone — the licence and gear the role requires — which is where most claims sit. Here’s what usually counts.
The three rules for any claim
- You paid for it yourself and weren’t reimbursed.
- It directly relates to earning your income.
- You have a record — a receipt, invoice or bank statement.
Checked against ATO guidance: August 2026
What you can usually claim
Licence renewal and self-education
Renewing your security licence and relevant endorsements, and training that builds on the skills in your current role.
Uniforms and laundry
Compulsory or protective uniforms and their laundering.
Equipment and first aid
Work-required equipment you buy yourself, such as a torch or protective items, and first-aid or CPR training.
Buying bigger gear: what happens at tax time
Most guards are employees, so a bigger purchase — a torch, a body camera, a two-way radio — has no GST side: anything $300 or under is claimed in full that year, and dearer items are claimed over their effective life. Private use trims the share you claim each year, not the value you carry on the register.
General information, not personal tax advice. What you can claim depends on your circumstances — check the ATO's own occupation guides or a registered tax agent, and keep records for every claim.
Keep in mind
- The cost of getting your initial licence to enter the occupation.
- Ordinary clothing without a logo.
- The commute to a regular site.
Where mistakes happen
The claims most likely to get adjusted — not because they're disallowed outright, but because the split or the timing was off.
- Claiming the cost of the initial licence course that let you enter the industry — only renewals of an existing licence are deductible.
- Claiming equipment, like a torch or radio, that your employer actually issued.
Take it further
Your income tax, Medicare levy and take-home pay on any salary.
2Fin for contractors →Every job costed by the time you’re home
2Fin for employees →Work expenses found, your refund in view
Track it: the asset register →Log the purchase once and 2Fin carries the effective life, the yearly deduction and the private-use share for you.
Sole trader →The simplest business structure — you and the business are one.
Marginal tax rate →The tax rate on your next dollar of income.
Effective life →How many years an asset is expected to be used — the base of every depreciation rate.
Capital purchase (GST on Capital) →An asset you buy to use over years — G10 on the BAS, then depreciated.
Security guards — common questions
Can I claim my security licence renewal?
Renewing the licence you need to keep working is generally deductible; the cost of your initial licence to enter the field usually isn’t. This is general information, not personal tax advice — what you can claim depends on your circumstances, so check with the ATO or a registered tax agent, and keep records to back up every claim.
Can I claim equipment like a torch?
Work-required equipment you buy yourself is generally claimable, with more expensive items claimed over their effective life. This is general information, not personal tax advice — what you can claim depends on your circumstances, so check with the ATO or a registered tax agent, and keep records to back up every claim.
Can I claim the course for my first security licence?
Generally no. The cost of getting your initial licence to enter the occupation sits outside the claim, and treating the initial course as a renewal is one of the common mistakes on a guard’s return. Renewing the licence you already hold, and endorsements that go with it, is typically deductible. This is general information, not personal tax advice — what you can claim depends on your circumstances, so check with the ATO or a registered tax agent, and keep records to back up every claim.
Can I claim my uniform and laundry as a guard?
Generally yes. Compulsory or protective uniforms and their laundering are typically claimable. Ordinary clothing without a logo stays private, so the test is whether the item is required or protective rather than whether you wear it on site. Keep the receipts for the uniform and a record of the laundering to support the claim. This is general information, not personal tax advice — what you can claim depends on your circumstances, so check with the ATO or a registered tax agent, and keep records to back up every claim.
How is a body camera or two-way radio claimed?
Most guards are employees, so there is no GST side: anything $300 or under is claimed in full that year, and dearer items are claimed over their effective life. Equipment your employer actually issued is not claimable at all, and private use trims the share you claim each year rather than the value you carry. This is general information, not personal tax advice — what you can claim depends on your circumstances, so check with the ATO or a registered tax agent, and keep records to back up every claim.
Let Fin surface these for you
On a PAYG wage, an ABN or both, 2Fin tags each expense work-related, business or personal as it lands, keeps the receipt with it, and exports your deductions to ATO myDeductions. Record the PAYG withheld from each pay and it shows a live estimate of your refund or what you owe across your salary, business and rental income. See what it does. Free to start, no card needed.
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