Are you a performing artist, flight attendant or pilot? Do you buy makeup 
as a requirement for your work? If you answered yes to any of the above, you may be able to claim your personal grooming expenses and increase your tax refund.
Here’s how it works:
Normally the ATO does not allow tax deductions for the following personal grooming items:
- Make-up
- Hairdressing
- Hair spray
- Moisturisers
- Hair conditioners
- Facials
- Teeth whitening or straightening
However…
You can claim for the above items if:
- You work in an aircraft cabin. If it is of absolute importance that you maintain a well-groomed image for your employer and this requires you to use skin moisturisers and hair conditioners to combat the lack of humidity and pressurisation.
- You are a Cosmetic or Make-up artist and you purchase the make-up for use on your clients. You can’t claim if you use the same make-up for personal use.
- You work as a performing artist and pay for the cost of a hairstyle which is require for a role you are performing in (not valid for auditions). You can also claim the cost of maintaining a particular style or haircut as part of a costume for continuity purposes.
Performing artists can also claim the cost of tinted contact lenses or special glasses that are required for a role. They must be cosmetic and must be for a role you have already attained, not an audition. You cannot claim a deduction for prescription contacts or glasses as the ATO classifies those as a private expense for a personal medical condition.
Other posts on deductions: