Can you claim your language course as a tax deduction?

Educating yourself is so important for all areas of our life. It is vital for our sense of self confidence, well being, our brains and our employability. Processes within technology, software and workplace change so quickly, that if you don’t keep abreast of new skills and current, you’ll rapidly find yourself on the back burner of your career. Even worse, you will find yourself surpassed by a more competent, and better educated version of yourself. Another benefit of self education is that many self-education expenses are tax deductible. Read below to see whether your self education choices can be claimed.

You can claim self-education and study expenses you incur when the course you take leads to a formal qualification and meets the following conditions.
The course must have a sufficient connection to your current employment activities as an employee and either:

• maintains or improves the specific skills or knowledge you require in your current employment activities
• results in or is likely to result in, an increase in your income from your current employment activities.

You can't claim a deduction for self-education and study expenses for a course that:

• doesn't have a sufficient connection to your current work activities
• only relates in a general way to your current employment – such as undertaking a full-time fashion photography course and working as a casual sales assistant on the weekends
• enables you to get new employment or change employment – such as moving from employment as a nurse to employment as a doctor.

See the links below and calculate whether you are able to claim your language course. 

https://www.ato.gov.au/Individuals/Income-and-deductions/In-detail/Education-and-study/?page=1#Specific_self_education_expenses

https://www.ato.gov.au/Individuals/Income-and-deductions/In-detail/Education-and-study/?page=1#Calculatingyourclaim 

https://www.ato.gov.au/Calculators-and-tools/Self-education-expenses/