The budget’s boost to instant asset write-off is now law

Federal Budget night announced an increase in the instant asset threshold, and also an extension of which businesses could access the measure. Now the Treasury Laws Amendment (Increasing and Extending the Instant Asset Write-Off) Bill 2019 has achieved Royal Assent. (And it did so on 6 April, so you can make claims, albeit with some caveats below.)

The instant asset write-off threshold increased from $25,000 to $30,000 from Budget night to 30 June 2020.

The threshold applies on a per asset basis. As a result, eligible businesses can instantly write off multiple assets costing less than $30,000 that are first used, or installed ready for use, from Budget night to 30 June 2020.

The instant asset write off has also been expanded to apply to both “small businesses” (those with an aggregated annual turnover of less than $10 million) and medium-sized businesses (an aggregated annual turnover of $10 million or more, but less than $50 million).

Note also…
The ATO points out that the entire cost of the asset must be less than the instant asset write-off threshold, irrespective of any trade-in amount. Whether the threshold is GST exclusive or inclusive will depend on your client’s GST status. For further information about GST ramifications, see this ATO web page.

In working out the amount you can claim, you must subtract any private use proportion. The balance (that is the proportion used in earning assessable income) is generally the taxable purpose proportion. While only the taxable purpose proportion is deductible, the ATO says the entire cost of the asset must be less than the threshold.

Note that if you later sell or dispose of an asset for which you have claimed an instant asset write-off, you will need to include the taxable purpose proportion of the amount received for the asset in your assessable income.