Need to issue an invoice in Australia? Freelancers, contractors and entrepreneurs starting their first small business must understand how to create and send invoices.

Without invoices, you don’t get paid.

Please don’t send amateurish-looking invoices that omit critical details and look like they belong in 1985 (MS Word style).

Today, we’ll explore which invoicing platforms are best while providing you with tips for creating invoices that get taken seriously.

(Related: MYOB Solo vs FreshBooks: Which Is Best For Solo Traders).

Why Are Top-Notch Invoices Important?

Imagine finishing a job and sending a professional-looking invoice, complete with your logo and legally required information, straight to your client’s inbox. That’s the best way to leave a lasting impression.

The alternative?

Above: An example of a professional Australian invoice. Note the clean design, the ABN and the words “Tax Invoice”.

Create an ugly document that is missing crucial details, and communicates to your client that you’re fumbling your way through running a business. 

So, why is a professional invoice necessary? 

(Related: 9 Best Password Managers In Australia).

Invoicing 101 In Australia.

Creating an invoice in Australia is a relatively straightforward process. 

The seven steps are as follows: 

(Related: Best Web Hosting Providers In Australia).

How To Create A Professional Invoice (And What NOT To Do).

Use a high-quality paper stock and opt for a colourful, patterned border…

NOT.  

Unless you’re creative, stick with a simple, minimalist design. The less visual information, the better. Help the reader scan your invoice without getting overwhelmed by clutter.

Aim to keep your invoices digital (the days of paper invoices are long gone). Our tips are: 

How Do I Create An Invoice Number? 

As mentioned, you will need a unique invoice number for everyone you create. This is to help you and your clients (and tax auditors) track and reconcile invoices.

You can use a range of styles, such as: 

Whatever style you choose, replicate this on all other invoices moving forward. 

(Related: Ultimate Guide To Capex).

What Information Must I Include On My Australian Invoice?

Every country requires specific details to ensure tax invoices comply with business laws and regulations.

Requirements for making invoices in Australia include the following: 

Legally Required Information For An Australian Tax Invoice.

In Australia, be sure to include the following: 

The invoice must also include information regarding GST (if applicable) and payment terms, including due dates or discounts.

(Related: Solo vs Hnry: Which Is Best For Solopreneurs?)

Optional Information That You Can Include On An Australian Invoice.

Include the following to elevate your brand and provides the client’s finance department with your contact details if they have questions:

(Related: MYOB vs Reckon: Which Is Best For Aussie SMBs?)

What Payment Options Are Available For Australian Businesses?

We’re no longer in the era of sending cheques in the mail. It’s best to offer your clients as many of the following as you can:

Things to keep in mind with payment types: 

How Do I Get Paid Quickly With An Australian Invoice?

There’s nothing more frustrating. The job is completed, and you’ve sent the email, but the payment is taking longer than it should.

Usually, friendly email reminders fall on deaf ears. It’s best to leave the hassling up to a trusty platform/website which will chase your client continuously (without the awkward conversations).

Our strategies for getting paid quickly with an Australian invoice are:

When tracking invoices, online software tells you when the customer has opened your invoice. It can also match them with payment into your bank account to tell you when it’s paid.

What Invoicing Software Or Platforms Should I Use?

You’re spoilt for choice regarding the platforms’ capability to automate your invoice process. Here are some of the best invoicing websites and what they offer:

1. MYOB.

2. Xero.

3. QuickBooks.

4. Wave.

5. Square.

6. PayPal.

7. Invoice2go.

Final Words On Creating A Professional Australian Invoice. 

Creating a valid tax invoice in Australia is now easier than ever. Take this as your sign to throw out the old-school invoices (better yet, pop them in your filing cabinet… if you still have one of those).

Ensuring that all the necessary details for both parties are included, the design is easy to read, legal boxes are checked, and payment options are accessible will ensure you’re paid in no time. 

Tommy

In a post-pandemic world, more people are working from home or adopting a hybrid approach to work than ever before. While this offers many benefits in terms of time-saving from commuting, flexibility and comfort, it also has potential downsides. 

You’ve probably been sacrificing your healthy eating habits in favour of on-demand meal delivery options, skipped meals or fast food alternatives.

When you break your diet down into simple and actionable steps, it becomes easier to be consistent with – and we know that consistency is key to building good habits.

Let’s dive into our top tips for eating healthily when you’re working from home.

1. Prep Ingredients In Advance.

Before you panic or tune out, I’m not suggesting that you must batch-cook a whole week of meals in advance.

That approach gets very boring very quickly.

You get sick of eating the same Bolognese every day, and by the time Thursday rolls around, you’re likely to throw your pre-prepped meal straight in the bin and reach for Uber Eats instead.

Here’s how to go about it:

1. Prep A Protein.

Choose a source of lean protein that will store well in a plastic container for a couple of days once cooked. Chicken, tofu, tempeh, lentils or beans work well.

2. Chop Up Your Veggies.

When you’ve done your weekly shop (more on this later), come home and dice, slice or chop your chosen veggies.

This way, when it comes to mealtimes, you simply have to dump your pre-prepared veggies in a pan, removing the need to peel and chop them every time.

3. Prepare A Carbohydrate Source.

Whether you enjoy rice, quinoa, pasta, legumes, or sweet potato, batch-cook your preferred carbohydrate ahead of time.

This means you can whip up a big batch of whatever you please before the start of the week, and you’ve got the base of your meals ready to go!

Ingredient prep is simple, fast, and removes:

2. Grocery Shop With A Strategy.

Never do your weekly grocery shop without a plan or a strategy! This is your chance to get ahead for the week and arm yourself with everything you need for a week’s worth of healthy, simple meals.

Before your weekly grocery shop, write a list of all the ingredients you plan to prep for the week ahead:

3. Don’t Eat At Your Desk!

People who work from home often fall into the habit of never leaving their home office.

While it can be tempting, particularly on a busy workday, to gulp your meal while seated in your fancy ergonomic chair behind your computer desk, avoid doing so.

Taking even 10 minutes away from your desk to enjoy your meal mindfully and get some fresh air has two key benefits for your health.

(Recommended: 7 Stylish Home Office Ideas).

1. Improved Digestion.

Mindful eating, or the practice of truly focusing on your food, has been shown to:

Take the time to chew each bite slowly and appreciate all the sensations it affords you without distraction.

This will improve digestion and allow your body to better absorb the nutrients you’re supplying it with.

2. Improved Productivity.

Taking a brief break from your work to get outside or enjoy your food has been proven to be beneficial for your concentration and productivity.

While you may feel that tearing yourself away from your desk will interrupt your flow or reduce your productivity, the opposite tends to occur.

(Related: How Long Should You Stand At A Standing Desk?)

4. Be Careful With Fads.

People who commit to working on eating healthily or adopting a healthier lifestyle tend to go to extremes.

They often cut out foods or entire food groups, never allow themselves to enjoy treat foods, or adopt strict, excessive exercise regimes. 

Many people are convinced that following strict diets such as the ketogenic (keto) diet, which aims to obtain roughly 70-80% of your daily energy intake from fats, 10-20% from protein, and 5-10% from carbohydrates, is the most effective dietary pattern for promoting weight management.

While the keto diet may be appropriate for some people, especially people struggling with high blood glucose, insulin resistance or diabetes, this diet, and most others, are not the best approach to eating healthily while you’re working from home.

In short, restriction and deprivation have the opposite effect of what you’re hoping for.

Balance is the key to consistency, and consistency is the key to maintaining a good diet while working from home.

Final Words About Eating Well While Working From Home.

Working from home doesn’t have to complicate your food choices or add to the difficulty of eating healthily.

You can leverage the added flexibility, access to your kitchen, and time saved from your commute to prioritise small changes that improve your overall well-being.

Eat away from your desk, pre-prepare ingredients and shop consciously to ensure you stay on track and make choices that lead to improved productivity.

– Emily

Working from home is here to stay, with more than 40 per cent of Aussie employees regularly working from home, according to ABS data. Many of us are left scrambling for budget home office ideas so that we can finally stop working from the dining room table.

One of the biggest factors that determine your ability to focus is your physical environment.

I’ve scoured the World Wide Web to find seven stylish budget home office ideas that will elevate your current WFH setup without draining your wallet. I hope they help you feel good and stay productive at work.

(Related: 7 Career Ideas For Australians Who Are WFH).

1. An Office Nook.

Source: Love And Renovations.

This office nook proves you can create a stylish office space without needing to use up an entire room, using leftover space in the main living room. 

With a practical yet stylish desk and chair combination from Target, and a small storage shelf attached to the wall, this home office is the ideal set-up for working with small areas.

(Related: Will The Cost Of Living In Australia Rise In 2026?)

2. A DIY Desk Hack With Extra Storage. 

Source: Grillo Designs.

This DIY desk storage hack takes budget-friendly home office style to the next level. 

Stylish, practical and a great example of how you can repurpose furniture for your home office.

(Related: Top Benefits Of Working From Home).

3. The Full IKEA Special.

Source: Making Joy And Pretty Things.

This beautiful home office goes heavy on the IKEA cabinets and shelves, and that’s because IKEA is renowned for its gorgeous yet budget-friendly office furniture. 

With calming green floating open shelves and a large floor-to-ceiling cabinet, this is a great example of a budget-friendly office space you can create when you have extra room to spare.  

(Related Article: Are Ikea Standing Desks Worth It?)

4. Add Accents Of Colour.

Source: My Kind Of Sweet.

Pops of colour – whether a bright office chair or an eye-catching rug – can be a very effective and budget-friendly way to make your home office more inspiring. 

This pink chair and vibrant rug combination bring the whole office space to life, while the white and bright storage spaces (built into the desk, too, for better use of space) give the space a chic feel.

(Related: Dora Pro Standing Desk Review: Best WFH Desk?)

5. The Floating Desk.

Source: Threetimesahome.

Most people’s first instinct is to push the home office desk against the wall, but you can give your workspace light, bright and flowing feeling by floating the desk again from the walls.

6. The Boho Look.

Source: Tory Stender.

Want to achieve a cosy and bohemian look all under $150? Take notes from this designer.

This home office is brought to life not by its desk and chair set-up but by its leafy decorations. 

7. Trendy Wall Workspace.

Source: Love Create Celebrate.

If the idea of turning a wall into an office workspace has never crossed your mind, take notes from this trendy home office design.

Who knew a simple wall could turn into such a lovely workspace? 

(Related: Best Under-Desk Treadmills).

5 Tips for Setting Up A Home Office On A Budget 

Now that you have received a healthy dose of home office inspiration, allow me to provide you with actionable advice you can use to transform your current office space into your mini-WeWork.

1. Choose A Dedicated Office Area. 

As tempting as it can be to work on the lounge (or even on your bed – we’ve all been there), nominating a specific area in your home to be your office space will make setting up your budget home office space easier. 

2. Create A Floor Plan.

It can be tempting just to start moving furniture around until you find a design that works.

However, measuring out the space you’re working with and creating a floor plan – no matter the size of your home office space – will ensure the final result is a much better use of the space. 

Plus, when you have a floor plan (including measurements), you are better positioned to start searching for the right budget items to put into your stylish new office space, instead of guessing whether a new table and chair will even fit in the space.

3. Consider Your Office Vibe & What You Need.

From Scandinavian designs to minimalism, to boho and everything in between, knowing what kind of design and style brings you joy will make shopping and decking out your budget home office easier. 

(Related: 13 Best Home Business Ideas).

Once you have your ideal vibe and style, you can start considering what you need to create the perfect budget home office.

Make sure you take ergonomics into account (like an ergonomic chair). On top of that, here are the other home office essentials you need to think about:

4. Use What You Have & DIY. 

Take stock of what you have and what you can repurpose. 

(Related Article: Ultimate Home Office Setup Guide).

Paint it your favourite colour, and now you have a desk with storage capacity too. 

In terms of decorative pieces, perhaps you have some plants and artwork cluttering up your bedroom, which can be moved to your home office to spruce up the space. 

(Related Article: How To Claim Home Office Expenses).

5. Put On Your Bargain-Hunting Hat. 

From Etsy to Facebook Marketplace to garage sales and second-hand stores, there are many places to find budget home office furniture. 

Second-hand goods can get a bad rap, but even second-hand furniture in the worst condition can be repaired and uplifted with a little DIY, like sanding and painting.

Trading pieces of furniture with family or friends is a great way to find new (and free) home office furniture.

Perhaps you have a dining table you can trade for a smaller desk, or you could even trade skills and services for furniture (maybe your friend needs some accounting advice in exchange for an office chair).

Bonus Tip: Improve The Lighting.

A single overhead light is the number one ambience killer in your home office.

Not only can poor office lighting be the cause of eye strain and headaches, but it can also impact your mental health and productivity. 

This can be through one or two well-positioned upward-shining floor lamps, which can bounce light off the walls and the ceilings, or some nice lampshades to diffuse the ambient lighting. 

(Related: Complete Guide To WFH Ergonomics).

To make things easy for yourself, position your office space in an area or room with great natural lighting from a window or skylight.

In general, it’s good practice to have natural light in front of or next to your work surfaces and computer screens to avoid glare (and give you a nice view outside).

Final Words About Budget-Friendly Office Spaces. 

Use these home office ideas on a budget to create a new and stylish office space you’ll enjoy working in. 

It is certainly tempting to just work from your kitchen table, or your bed, but a dedicated office space will not only make work more joyful but will also make you more focused and productive. 

Start getting creative and building your budget home office ideas today – your future self will thank you!

Ally

Millions of Australians are participating in an experiment by working from home, hoping for a better work-life balance with fewer interruptions and flexible hours. While many are loving the benefits of working from home, some are struggling with the drawbacks.

Today, I’ll take a closer look at whether working remotely can be a net positive on your life.

(Related: Ultimate Work-From-Home Checklist).

1. Better Flexibility (Not Work-Life Balance).

I hate the term “work-life” balance. It’s one of those truisms that the mainstream media loves to wax on about because it’s uncomplicated enough for mass production and digestible enough for mass consumption.

Of course, other permutations are also possible. There are plenty of miserable workaholics and blissfully happy unemployed hippies.

That’s exactly my point.

You don’t need a better balance. You need the tools to design – and build – the kind of life that you want to live.

Now that you’re not being measured by the number of hours you sit at your office desk, how about you:

(Related: Hidden Costs Of Poor WFH Ergonomics).

2. Less Time On The Road.

One of the biggest advantages of working from home is the elimination of the daily commute.

That’s 5-6 hours every week, or 20-24 hours every month, that can be used for more productive activities such as:

(Related: Best Accounting Software For Solopreneurs).

3. Location Independence.

Working remotely gives you a lot of freedom. As long as you have a laptop and an internet connection, you can get your work done from any city or country in the world.

As someone who has done the remote job “digital nomad” thing for 6 years before resettling in Sydney, I can speak to its pros and cons from experience.

Plus, many overseas adventures can’t be squeezed into a weekend, so if your job demands 40-50 hours of your time, you’ll have to say no to a lot of cool stuff.

4. Fantastic Home Office Environment.

You can set up the home office of your dreams, customising it exactly to your taste.

No more soul-sucking corporate offices, however “open plan” they may be.

5. Increased Productivity.

Several studies have found that people are more productive when they work from home.

For example, this study by Stanford University found that employees who worked from home were 13% more productive than their office-based counterparts.

It takes a person about 20 minutes of focused work to enter a peak productivity state.

6. Reduced Environmental Impact.

Working from home can also help reduce your carbon footprint. With no commute, you’ll be responsible for emitting far less CO2 into the atmosphere.

7. More Money In Your Pocket.

Without the need to purchase “work clothes” just to signal status to your coworkers, and spend money on driving or public transport, a remote job can save you a lot of dough.

(Related: MYOB vs QuickBooks: Which Is Best For Aussie SMBs?)

If you set up a dedicated office space in your home, you may be able to take advantage of tax deductions for your home office furniture and power bills.

8. Better Opportunities For The Disabled.

People with disabilities face a lot of challenges in the workplace.

For example, a person with a hearing impairment can avoid the challenges of a face-to-face workplace by communicating via transcription-enabled video chat.

9. Access To Global Jobs.

You can score a plum gig with an overseas company, but continue to live and work in Australia.

More and more businesses are offering remote work opportunities to the best talent, no matter where they live.

(Related: 11 Best Web Hosting Providers In Australia).

5 Downsides Of Working From Home.

Remote workers get a lot of perks, but those are not without a cost. Let’s examine the main challenges that come along with WFH arrangements.

1. Psychological Isolation.

Remote workers report stronger feelings of loneliness when working from home.

Conversely, if you’re a highly logical, introverted person who loves the grind, working remotely may provide you with an optimal level of psychological stimulus.

2. Poor Ergonomics.

The coronavirus pandemic hit, and everyone was suddenly sitting slouched behind their kitchen tables or draped over their couches.

Invest in an ergonomic office chair (how to choose an office chair) and ensure your desk is set up ergonomically to avoid strain and discomfort.

3. Blurred Boundaries.

How do you know that work is finished and family time can start?

Mainstream advice suggests that you deal with this by establishing clear boundaries between work time and personal time. For example, you might designate specific hours for work and make sure to clock off at the end of the day.

Esther Perel has a quote – “it’s not a problem to be fixed, but a dichotomy to be managed”. I suggest you adopt her view on this issue.

Not all problems have clear-cut solutions – and instead require ongoing oversight to ensure you fulfil on your commitments and remain flexible enough to make reasonable exceptions.

4. Distractions!

When working from home, there are a million potential distractions. You’ll be tempted to put off work in favour of laundry (you’re a great husband, after all!), dishes, or that new episode of your favourite show (you earned a break!)

For example, I start work early (7 am) and work without distractions until about 930am. I don’t check Slack, Teams or email.

I then have breakfast and punch out another power productivity session between 10 am and 1 pm.

Then it’s lunch and whatever else my day demands of me.

You may prefer a different routine, which is fine. The key is to create one and be consistent with it.

(Related: Ultimate Guide To Income Statements).

5. Becoming Invisible.

Workplaces with hybrid teams can experience an issue where bosses are biased against fully remote team members.

Counter this by asking potential employers about their communication strategies and what remote collaboration software they use.

Steven

Working from home comes with a unique set of perks, one of which is the ability to claim home office expenses as tax deductions on your tax return.

But what expenses are you able to claim?

This blog post will show you how to claim your work-from-home expenses in a way that puts the most money in your pocket.

Remember that these are general guidelines – always speak to an accountant or tax specialist to find out precisely what you are eligible for.

(Related: Ultimate Home Office Setup Guide).

1. Ensure That Your Home Office Expenses Are Eligible.

To claim WFH expenses on your tax return, you must clear ATO’s first eligibility test, which says:

Once satisfied that your home office expenses clear this eligibility hurdle, you must divide them into one of two categories.

(Related: Best Small Business Accounting Software).

2. Classify Your Expenses Correctly.

Broadly, your home office deductions fall into occupancy expenses (can only be claimed in specific situations – see below) and running expenses.

Let’s examine each in detail.

A. Home Office Running Expenses.

Running expenses are the ongoing costs associated with running your home office and can be claimed regardless of whether you work from home permanently or occasionally.

These include costs like:

B. Home Office Occupancy Expenses.

Occupancy expenses are associated with owning or renting your home. They’re not affected by your income-earning activities. They include:

3. Decide Which Expenses You Can Claim.

If you work from home, you’ll probably be able to claim at least some of your running expenses.

Occupancy expenses are more tricky to claim, and you’ll only be able to deduct those if you satisfy ATO’s strict eligibility criteria.

(Related: MYOB vs Reckon: Which Is Best For Aussie SMBs?)

In a nutshell, the more substantial your home office is, the more you’ll be able to claim.

Use the table below to find out what you can claim:

As a rule of thumb:

Of course, there are always exceptions, so consult your accountant for the final word on your eligibility.

(Related: 11 Best Web Hosting Providers In Australia).

4. Don’t Get Caught Claiming In Excess.

The ATO is cracking down on “ambitious” claims, so make sure your tax return aligns with reality.

For example, you may be tempted to claim occupancy costs, even if you work from the kitchen table or a spare room a few times per week as a salaried employee.

Yet, the ATO is quite clear here – to claim occupancy costs, it expects you to have an area of your home set aside exclusively for business purposes.

5. Choose The Best Claim Method.

You can claim a deduction for your home office using one of two methods. Each method has specific pros, cons and eligibility criteria.

We will demonstrate the effectiveness of each method in a hypothetical real-life example, where Tom works from home as a cryptocurrency trader, in a dedicated room, for 20 hours per week.

He spends the other 20 hours of his workweek in Sydney’s PwC headquarters as a senior analyst.

Per our guidelines above, he is eligible for running expenses but not occupancy expenses. Here’s a summary of deductions that Tom plans to make:

1. The Fixed-Rate Method.

Most WFH professionals use this method for claiming expenses on their tax returns because it yields great returns without being overly complex.

It is comprised of two steps.

To use the fixed-rate method, you must:

Pros.

You can claim a deduction for running expenses without the need to keep records.

However, you need to provide proof of the hours you’ve spent working from home (by keeping a diary or a timesheet).

Cons.

You will need to set aside a dedicated area in your home for your WFH activities. A dining table doesn’t count.

This method is more clunky because you will need to separately calculate your work-related use of equipment (laptops, standing desks, office chairs, headphones, etc) and show the work-related portion of running expenses like phone bills.

How Much Will You Get?

Tom gets only $520 for his hours worked (which is $280 less than what he’d get using the Shortcut Method) and can claim a portion of his phone and internet expenses, as well as the depreciation of his laptop.

Unfortunately, Tom doesn’t get full deductions for the $2000 he has spent on his beautiful standing desk and $1500 on his ergonomic office chair – because office furniture is included in the 52 cents per hour figure when using the Direct Method.

To sum it up, if you have any significant phone bills, internet bills or equipment purchases that you can claim, and you haven’t spent massive amounts of money on the fit-out of your home office, the Fixed Rate method is a good fit for you.

(Related: Ultimate Guide To Income Statements).

Who Can’t Use This Method?

Don’t use this method if you:

Learn more about the fixed rate method here.

2. The Actual Cost Method.

Using the actual costs method, you don’t start with a baseline “cents per hour worked” deduction.

Instead, you simply calculate all expenses that you have incurred to produce your income when working at home, from scratch.

This can include almost all running and occupancy expenses:

Pros.

This method has the potential to maximise your return.

For example, if you have a dedicated home office and incur high electricity costs due to running multiple computers or other equipment, the Actual Cost method will likely result in a higher deduction than the other two methods.

Cons.

The main downside of this method is the amount of record-keeping required. You will need to keep receipts for all expenses related to your home office, including:

Learn more about the actual cost method here.

How Much Will You Get?

Using Tom as an example again, the calculations look even more promising:

Tom has significant energy expenses and a beautiful, ergonomic home office setup. He is able to get maximum deductions for those expenses using the Actual Cost method.

3. The Shortcut Method.

The shortcut method was temporary (introduced by the ATO in response to COVID-19) and ended on the 30th of June 2022.

It was a quick and easy way to calculate your deductions for work-related expenses; you could use the shortcut method to calculate your deductions:

This included time spent working overtime, on weekends and public holidays.

However, you needed to provide proof of the hours you’ve spent working from home (by keeping a diary or a timesheet).

With this method, you could claim 80 cents per hour that you worked from home during the relevant period.

Pros.

The shortcut method was the best option if you didn’t have records of your expenses, if your claim was for a small amount, or if you didn’t want to waste time hunting through shoe boxes of receipts.

You simply had to produce a timesheet, roster or diary that shows the number of hours you’ve worked from home.

Cons.

The biggest downside of this method was that it didn’t always give you the biggest tax return.

It’s was also not suitable for calculating occupancy costs.

If you thought you may have been entitled to claim those, or you have a lot of running costs to claim, you should have used the fixed-rate method or the actual cost method (see above).

How Much Will You Get?

Using the temporary shortcut method, Tom got a generous 80 cents per hour worked at home, but couldn’t claim any individual deductions such as equipment depreciation and phone and internet expenses.

Learn more about the shortcut method here.

(Related: Tips For Better Home Office Lighting).

7. Check If You Can Claim Mortgage Interest.

Interest on your mortgage is a form of occupancy cost and, therefore, can only be claimed in limited circumstances.

Specifically, to make a mortgage interest deduction, your home office/business must pass the ‘interest deductibility test‘ set by the ATO:

8. Ensure That You’re Not Claiming For Ineligible Home Office Expenses.

Not all purchases are created equal. You can’t claim a deduction for the following home office expenses:

(Related: The Only Work-From-Home Checklist You Need).

9. Provide Records To Support Your Claims.

Records required by the ATO will largely depend on your chosen claim method.

Predictably, the more sophisticated the method, the more records you’ll need to produce.

What Deductions Can You Claim As A Business Owner?

It’s quite feasible that you’ll be able to claim home office running expenses and occupancy expenses.

You can use any of the 3 methods to claim your deductions for working from home.

Learn more about how to claim a deduction for a home-based business here.

Is Working From Home Here To Stay?

Probably. Entirely new patterns of work are emerging.

Many employees are reluctant to give up the flexibility afforded to them by the COVID pandemic, with two-thirds wanting to continue working at least partially from home.

In response, many companies have announced that they will be permanently instituting WFH policies.

Even though the technology that enables WFH existed pre-pandemic, very few people with serious career aspirations entertained it as an option.

Workplace management techniques, cultural standards, and the stigma surrounding working from home may have discouraged remote employment.

As the CEO of Morgan Stanley explained in 2020:

Yet, two short years later, in 2022, most CEOs have a cautiously optimistic view of WFH arrangements.

Hybrid work models are emerging as the best compromise, at least in the short to medium term.

The End Of The 5-Day Commute.

According to research by the Australian Productivity Commission, the daily commute to the office imposes a substantial, yet invisible, tax on employees.

Australians in major cities spend around 67 minutes per day commuting. This translates to $49-57 in foregone earnings per day.

Deleting this tax through higher retained earnings or more free time will be a welcome change.

The Dark Side Of WFH.

Work-from-home arrangements are not without issues.

For example, they have already been shown to ratchet up online disinhibition, which correlates highly with bullying.

Managers and executives will need to work hard on identifying and preventing these unintended consequences.

Meanwhile, a recent survey has revealed that many employees feel more tired and less engaged when juggling work and family obligations.

Ironically, the working hours of many employees have increased more than their commuting hours have decreased. This resulted in a net negative amount of time for family and friends.

The most brutal examples of this trend have appeared in China, where 12-hour workdays, 6 days per week became the norm until the Supreme People’s Court intervened.

Irene