The ATO estimates that incorrect reporting of rental property income and expenses is costing around $1 billion each year in forgone tax
revenue. A big part of the problem is how taxpayers are claiming interest on their investment property loans.
We’ve seen an uptick in ATO activity focussing on refinanced or redrawn loans. This activity is a result of a major
data matching program of residential property loan data from financial institutions from 2021-22 to 2025-26. This data is being matched
to what taxpayers have claimed on their tax returns. Those with anomalies can expect contact from the ATO to explain the discrepancy.
If you have an investment property loan and redraw on the loan for a different purpose to the original borrowing, the loan account becomes a
mixed purpose account. Interest accruing on mixed purpose accounts need to be apportioned between each of the different purposes the money
was used for.
On the other hand, if the redrawn funds are used to produce investment income, then the interest on this portion of the loan should be
deductible.
For example, if you have redrawn on the loan to pay for a private holiday, or pay down personal debt, then the interest relating to this
portion of the loan balance is not deductible. Not only will the interest expenses need to be apportioned into deductible and non-deductible
parts, but repayments will normally need to be apportioned too.
Withdrawals from an offset account are treated as savings rather than a new borrowing. If you have a loan account and an interest offset
account is attached to this account that reduces the interest payable on the loan, withdrawing funds from the offset account will typically
increase the amount of interest accruing on the loan, but won’t change the deductible percentage of the interest expenses.
That is, when you withdraw funds from the offset account this is really a withdrawal of savings and won’t impact on the extent to which
interest accruing on the loan account is deductible.
If you have a home loan that was used to acquire your private home and you have funds sitting in an offset account, withdrawing those funds
to pay the deposit on a rental property won’t enable you to claim any of the interest accruing on the home loan.
However, if you redraw funds from the home loan to acquire a rental property then interest accruing on this portion of the loan should
be deductible. The tax treatment always depends on how the arrangement is structured.
Think you might have a problem? Contact us and we can investigate the issue before the ATO contact you.
After overwhelming demand and sold-out sessions in Perth, Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne and Mornington in 2025, we’re inviting expressions of interest for 2026. If you missed out earlier or are ready to dive into hands-on automation training, we’re considering additional sessions in various locations across Australia in 2026.
LIVE 2-DAY COURSE - MELBOURNE CBD
15 & 16 December 2025
Join SkyBots’ 2-day Workshop with automation expert Daryl Aw to revolutionise your workflow using Power Automate, UiPath, VBA,
and cutting-edge AI tools like Copilot and ChatGPT. Tailored for accounting and finance
professionals, bookkeepers and small business owners, this hands-on training will teach you to automate repetitive tasks, generate and
optimise VBA scripts, and deploy robust automation solutions independently.
LIVE 2-DAY COURSE - SYDNEY
11 & 12 December 2025
Join SkyBots’ 2-day Workshop with automation expert Daryl Aw to revolutionise your workflow using Power Automate, UiPath, VBA,
and cutting-edge AI tools like Copilot and ChatGPT. Tailored for accounting and finance
professionals, bookkeepers and small business owners, this hands-on training will teach you to automate repetitive tasks, generate and
optimise VBA scripts, and deploy robust automation solutions independently.
LIVE 2-DAY COURSE - ADELAIDE CBD
8 & 9 December 2025
Join SkyBots’ 2-day Workshop with automation expert Daryl Aw to revolutionise your workflow using Power Automate, UiPath, VBA,
and cutting-edge AI tools like Copilot and ChatGPT. Tailored for accounting and finance
professionals, bookkeepers and small business owners, this hands-on training will teach you to automate repetitive tasks, generate and
optimise VBA scripts, and deploy robust automation solutions independently.
Equipment finance makes the most sense when it helps your business grow. If new machinery will increase productivity, open up new contracts, or allow you to expand your services.
SMART Business Solutions is proud to announce its recognition as the winner of Excellence in Local Community Connection (Medium–Large Business) and Excellence in Access and Inclusion at the 2025 Mornington Peninsula Business Excellence Awards.
A good rule of thumb is to match the finance term to the useful life of the asset. This ensures your repayments align with the equipment’s value to your business.
It might seem like a clever strategy - moving surplus business cash into your personal mortgage offset account to save on home loan interest, then shifting it back to the company around tax time. But there’s a catch: the ATO sees this, and they’re not fans.
Commercial property has rebounded strongly, reaching $15.9 billion year-to-date through the second quarter of 2025.
Retail has positioned itself as one of the strongest performing sectors in the commercial property market.
With $7 billion in Games-related infrastructure investment already underway, demand for office space in engineering, construction and professional services sectors is increasing substantially.
Running a small business has always been personal. Every sale, every setback, every sleepless night - it all comes back to the same person: the owner.
A staggering 93% of small business owners reported higher costs this year, while 64% saw profits fall. Taxes, wages, and insurance top the list of pressures, with taxes ranked as the number one cost by half of respondents of a recent report.
Australia’s small business sector has always been defined by its resilience - but the latest Council of Small Business Organisations Australia (COSBOA) and CommBank Small Business Perspectives Report 2025 shows that resilience is being tested like never before.
Online loan calculators can give you a realistic estimate of your potential repayments without affecting your credit score.
The ATO is tightening the screws. They’ve issued a clear warning to businesses: stop inflating or falsely claiming GST. And they’re not just making noise - thanks to advanced data-matching and technology, they’re more capable than ever of spotting discrepancies.
Debt consolidation works best when the new loan has a genuinely lower interest rate and a reasonable term.
Smart Private Wealth is proud to announce that Founding Director, Shannon Smit, has been recognised in the 2025 FS Power50, Financial Standard’s annual list of the 50 most influential financial advisers in Australia.
It’s human nature to make decisions based on how something makes us feel — but property investing is not the time for sentimentality.
Guyrobb Electrics’ success story shows how structure, visibility, and partnership can transform the way a business operates. With the right systems, advice, and regular strategic review, Jon has been able to grow confidently.
As a relatively new business owner, Sharyn was looking for an advisor who could go beyond compliance — someone who could translate financial data into strategy, build her confidence with numbers, and help her align her team around a clear business vision.
When progress stalls, most business owners assume they need to work harder. But in our experience, the problem isn’t effort—it’s visibility. You can’t fix what you can’t see.
Every business wants to grow. But growth without clarity can be just as risky as stagnation. Many business owners pursue expansion based on instinct or inspiration—launching new services, hiring more staff, or investing in marketing—without fully understanding what the numbers are saying. The result? Busyness without progress. Revenue may rise, but profit and control often fall behind.
The truth is, most business stress doesn’t come from the work itself. It comes from the lack of structure behind it. Without systems, your business relies on memory, goodwill, and constant firefighting. That’s exhausting—and it’s unsustainable.
Even profitable businesses can run into cashflow trouble. Revenue looks healthy on paper, yet the bank balance tells a different story. The culprit? Hidden leaks in profit and cashflow that quietly drain resources, reduce margins, and create constant pressure on working capital.
What happens when a trusted employee of 15+ years claims they’re owed over $20K in backpay? For one small business owner, it meant stress, legal letters — and a powerful reminder of why investing in the right accounting and bookkeeping partner pays off.
SMART Business Solutions is proud to announce its recognition as the winner of Excellence in Local Community Connection (Medium–Large Business) and Excellence in Access and Inclusion at the 2025 Mornington Peninsula Business Excellence Awards.
It might seem like a clever strategy - moving surplus business cash into your personal mortgage offset account to save on home loan interest, then shifting it back to the company around tax time. But there’s a catch: the ATO sees this, and they’re not fans.
