This guide explains the OnlyFans tax deductions you can claim in Australia. If you earn income from OnlyFans, the ATO considers you self-employed, which means you're running a business and can claim work-related deductions, from camera gear to home office costs, to reduce your taxable income.
The catch? Most creators have no idea what they're actually entitled to claim, and end up either missing out on legitimate deductions or overclaiming and landing themselves in hot water. Before you start claiming, it helps to know whether you need an ABN as a content creator and how the rules apply to your situation. Here's what most creators miss.
✦What can OnlyFans creators claim?
As a self-employed content creator, you can claim deductions for expenses that are directly related to earning your OnlyFans income. Here are the big ones:
Camera equipment, lighting & tripods
Cameras, ring lights, softboxes and tripods. Items over $300 are depreciated over their effective life; items under $300 can be claimed in full the year you buy them.
Costumes, outfits & props
Clothing, costumes or props used exclusively for content and not considered everyday wear. A regular outfit you'd also wear to brunch isn't deductible.
Internet & phone bills
Claim the work-related percentage. If you use your internet 60% for content, you can claim 60% of the bill. Keep a usage log for a four-week representative period.
Home office expenses
A portion of rent, electricity and running costs for a dedicated workspace. Use the ATO fixed-rate method or calculate actual costs, a dedicated space, not the living room couch.
Subscription & platform fees
OnlyFans' 20% cut, payment processing fees, and promotion tools like scheduling or analytics services are fully deductible.
Makeup & grooming
Only if specifically for content creation. Stage makeup, on-camera body products or pre-shoot grooming can count, your everyday moisturiser doesn't.
Editing software
Photoshop, Premiere Pro, Lightroom, Final Cut, Canva Pro, subscriptions and one-off purchases are fully deductible.
Accountant fees
The cost of getting your return done by a professional is itself deductible. So hiring a specialist adult creator accountant partly pays for itself.
✦What you can't claim
Not everything is fair game. If an expense is personal in nature, you can't claim it, even if you think it helps your brand.
⊘ Off the table
- ✕Personal clothing you also wear outside of content creation. If it's not exclusively for work, it's not deductible.
- ✕General groceries and food costs. Eating well might help on camera, but the ATO doesn't see your weekly shop as a business expense.
- ✕Gym memberships, unless your content is directly fitness-related and documented, and even then likely only a percentage. This one gets flagged often.
✦How to keep the ATO happy
Claiming deductions is your right as a self-employed creator, but you need to do it properly. The ATO has been increasingly looking at content creators, and once you pass the turnover threshold you may also need to register for GST, so read our GST guide for Australian creators. Here's how to stay on the right side.
- ✓Keep every receipt. Digital or physical. If you can't prove the expense, you can't claim it.
- ✓Use a separate bank account. A dedicated business account makes tracking income and expenses straightforward.
- ✓Log your hours. Especially for home office and internet claims, a simple spreadsheet is enough.
- ✓Don't overclaim. If something's 50% personal, claim 50%. The ATO uses data matching and benchmarks.
Keep a simple spreadsheet of every payout and expense with the date and AUD value. It makes tax time painless, and we'll handle the conversion, find every deduction, and lodge it for you in an average of four business days.
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We're Chartered Accountants who specialise in OnlyFans & adult creator tax returns. We'll make sure you claim everything you're entitled to, without the stress.
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CreatorTax is a team of Australian Chartered Accountants specialising in content-creator tax. Private, judgement-free, and fully online, operated by Dolman Bateman & Co.