How much should your depreciation deduction come to? Perhaps more than you think

Depreciation is a paper-cost that investors are increasingly savvy about, however like any industry, not every depreciation schedule is made equal and some quantity surveyors are more thorough than others. This may mean that your deductions are no where near where they should be, explains BMT Tax Depreciation managing director Bradley Beer.

In a recent conversation with Property Observer, Beer explained that a quantity surveyor’s ability to spot renovation that may have been done before an investor purchased, or knowledge of when something looks out of place, can quickly help push up the claimable items.

Those who self-assess without the knowledge or property diligence, or estimate costs on their own judgement, may be missing out.

He also recently said that two types of deductions are regularly missed – capital works deductions and plant and equipment depreciation.

Beer pointed to the recent ATO stats, where 2.5 million of Australia’s property investors claimed deductions over 2011/2012. Just one million received an average capital works deduction of $2,029, which 1.7 million claimed an average plant and equipment depreciation deduction of $1,139.

“A total depreciation claim of $3,168 on average is well below the typical claim found for residential investors who request a BMT Tax Depreciation Schedule. Data collected from tens of thousands of depreciation schedules prepared by BMT Tax Depreciation suggests the average claim should be around $10,100 in the first full financial year and $7,350 per year on average over the first ten years of owning a property,” said Beer.

While not all can claim capital works deductions due to restrictions reliant on construction commencement date, plant and equipment deductions can be claimed regardless of the age.

“We’re continuing to see a trend that suggests the owners of older properties don’t claim the maximum capital works deductions available. Older properties have often had renovations completed. Even work completed by a previous owner of the property can be claimed as a capital works deduction by the current owner,” he said.

Observer Terry Ryder wrote today that depreciation is "probably the single biggest missed opportunity by property investors".