24tax Australia German-Australian Tax Specialist

30/08/2026

🚗 YOUR DAILY DRIVE TO WORK IS NOT A TAX DEDUCTION 🚗

One of the most common misconceptions at tax time is:

“I use my car to get to work, so I can claim the kilometres.”

Unfortunately, your normal trip between home and your regular workplace is generally considered private travel – even if:

• you live a long way from work
• there is no public transport
• you start very early or finish very late
• you do some work from home before travelling to work

Work-related travel can include travelling between workplaces, visiting clients or travelling to an alternative workplace for work purposes.

There are some exceptions, including certain situations where you are required to transport bulky tools or equipment.

And the 5,000 km limit under the cents-per-kilometre method is not an automatic entitlement. You can only claim kilometres that are genuinely work-related.

Not sure which car trips you can claim? I can help you work it out as part of your tax return.

Call now to connect with business.

30/08/2026

🇩🇪 Deutsche Rente in Australien – wo wird sie eigentlich versteuert? 🇦🇺

„Ich bekomme eine Rente aus Deutschland und lebe in Australien. Wo muss ich sie versteuern?“

Eine einfache Frage – aber leider keine einfache Antwort.

Denn „deutsche Rente“ ist steuerlich nicht gleich deutsche Rente.

Es macht einen erheblichen Unterschied, um welche Art von Altersversorgung es sich handelt, zum Beispiel:

👉 Gesetzliche Rente (Deutsche Rentenversicherung)

👉 Betriebsrente / Pensionskasse

👉 Berufsständisches Versorgungswerk

👉 Beamtenpension von Bund, Land oder Kommune

👉 Private Altersvorsorge

Je nach Art der Rente können unterschiedliche Regelungen des Doppelbesteuerungsabkommens zwischen Deutschland und Australien greifen.

Und damit ist die Prüfung noch nicht unbedingt beendet.

Auch die deutschen Regelungen können eine Rolle spielen – beispielsweise die Frage, ob eine Behandlung nach § 1 Abs. 3 EStG möglich bzw. sinnvoll ist. Auf australischer Seite muss wiederum geprüft werden, wie die jeweilige Zahlung steuerlich einzuordnen ist und ob eine in Deutschland gezahlte Steuer angerechnet werden kann.

Deshalb ist eine meiner ersten Fragen bei einer deutschen Rente nicht:

„Wie hoch ist Ihre Rente?“

sondern:

👉 „Was genau für eine Rente bekommen Sie?“

Denn zwei Menschen können beide in Australien leben und eine monatliche Zahlung aus Deutschland erhalten – und trotzdem kann die steuerliche Behandlung unterschiedlich aussehen.

🇩🇪 🇦🇺 Gerade bei Renten zeigt sich sehr schön: Beim internationalen Steuerrecht steckt der Unterschied oft im Detail.

Wenn Sie in Australien leben und eine Rente oder Pension aus Deutschland beziehen und nicht sicher sind, wie diese steuerlich zu behandeln ist, unterstütze ich Sie gerne bei der Prüfung der australischen steuerlichen Behandlung und der Einordnung nach dem deutsch-australischen Doppelbesteuerungsabkommen.

18/07/2026

Did you know?

If you're living in Australia on a temporary visa, you may not have to declare your German rental income, bank interest or investment income in your Australian tax return.

Most people (and many advisers) don't realise this.

Not sure whether you qualify? Feel free to get in touch.

24tax-downunder.de

07/07/2026

Happy New Financial Year!

The ATO elves have been busy… and the tax fairy has started sprinkling information into your tax returns.

Your employer, banks, health fund, Centrelink and other organisations are slowly feeding data through to the ATO. But don’t panic if your return doesn’t look complete yet — this happens over the coming weeks.

Just because the “Lodge” button is there doesn’t mean it’s time to press it.

Patience now can save amendments later.

09/06/2026

Back home..

14/05/2026

The Federal Budget has introduced some major proposed tax changes affecting property investors, trusts and small businesses.

The biggest discussion points so far are:
• changes to Capital Gains Tax (CGT),
• changes to negative gearing for future property purchases,
• proposed trust tax changes,
• possible valuation requirements from 30 June 2027, and
• increased ATO compliance activity.

Importantly, many existing investment properties appear to be grandfathered for negative gearing purposes — however the proposed CGT changes do not currently appear to offer full grandfathering.

At this stage, most measures are still proposals only and draft legislation has not yet been released, so there is still a lot of detail to come.

For now, I would avoid making rushed decisions based purely on headlines.

I’ll continue monitoring developments closely and provide updates once more detail becomes available.

10/05/2026

Selling property in Germany while living in Australia?

Many people assume that only Germany can tax the sale of German property.

In reality, Australian tax consequences can also arise if you are an Australian tax resident at the time of sale.

This is especially important for:
• Former main residences in Germany
• Investment properties
• Long-term expatriates
• Properties with large capital gains

The interaction between German and Australian tax rules — and the double taxation agreement — is often more complex than expected.

Timing, residency status and the type of property can make a significant difference to the final tax outcome.

04/05/2026

Do you have to declare German income in Australia?

Most people assume that if tax is already paid in Germany, nothing needs to be reported in Australia.

That’s often wrong.

In many cases, German income (e.g. rental income, pensions or investments) still needs to be declared in Australia — even if it is taxed in Germany.

The double taxation agreement prevents you from being taxed twice, but it does not mean you can ignore the income.

I regularly see clients who unknowingly create issues simply because they were never told this.

If you have income or assets in Germany and live in Australia, it’s worth checking whether everything is set up correctly.

04/05/2026

If you live in Australia and still have income, investments or property in Germany, there is a high risk of being taxed in both countries — often without realising it.

I specialise in cross-border tax between Germany and Australia and regularly see clients paying more tax than necessary due to incorrect structuring or missed reporting obligations.

Common issues include:

• German rental income not declared correctly in Australia

• Capital gains on German property

• Taxation of German pensions

• Double taxation risks

If you’re unsure whether your situation is set up correctly, feel free to reach out.

24/10/2025

It’s October 31 — tax deadline day!

If you’re still staring at that unfinished tax return, don’t stress. When you lodge through a registered tax agent (that’s me), you automatically get extra time to get it done.

So instead of rushing today, get in touch and let’s sort it properly — no panic, no missed deductions, and no last-minute chaos.

Send me a message and I’ll add you to my lodgement list. Simple and stress-free.