Uber Drivers

Tax resources for Australia’s Uber drivers.

Ubers drivers participate in the so-called ‘sharing economy’, which includes eBay, Uber, Airbnb, Etsy,

The Tax Office has identified the sharing economy as connecting “buyers (users) and sellers (providers) through a facilitator who usually operates an app or a website. There are many sharing economy websites and apps.”

Much of the sharing economy typically involves the use of personal assets by individuals. The Tax Office has had to respond to a variety of circumstances which the participants probably regarded as personal, but which on examination have characteristics which attract tax obligations.

Uber service is taxi travel

When Uber became prominent in Australia, the Tax Office put out a view that Uber drivers were engaging in taxi travel, and as such were automatically required to register and account for GST on its transactions (without regard to any turnover threshold).

A deadline of 1 August 2015 was provided for Uber drivers to register for and collect GST.

Although challenged vigorously by Uber on behalf of its drivers, the battle was lost in court. For the full story, see . The Federal Court’s full judgement is here.

See further

  • Uber Drivers and GST
    The requirement to register for GST was unsuccessfully challenged by Uber. GST is payable on a quarterly basis.
  • Uber ABN Registration
    If the provider already has an ABN, then the GST registration can be added, otherwise both can be applied for at the same time.
  • Uber BAS statements
    The normal BAS statement lodgment cycle is quarterly. The purpose of a BAS statement is to summarise and calculate money owed to the Tax Office (or refundable in some instances).
  • Uber Tax Deductions
    As small business owner operators Uber drivers have access to a wide range of legitimate tax deductions. There are vehicle costs and a number of incidental expenses we’ve listed as a memory jogger to ensure they’re not overlooked.
  • Uber Drivers Not Employees
    The Fair Work Ombudsman has finalised its investigation into Uber and found its drivers to be independent contractors, not employees. Se also:  FWO investigation of Uber finds drivers are not employees

.

 

 

This page was last modified 2019-09-04