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How Depreciation Works on Investment Property in Australia

By the Mortgagefy Team · Published · Last reviewed

Depreciation lets you claim tax deductions without spending any money — one of the most powerful tools in the investor's toolkit.

How Depreciation Works on Investment Property in Australia — Mortgagefy guide

Depreciation is a non-cash deduction — it reduces your taxable income without you spending any money in that financial year. For property investors, it can add thousands of dollars in tax refunds annually, significantly improving the after-tax return on investment.

The Two Types of Depreciation

1. Division 43 — Capital Works (Building Allowance)

This is depreciation of the building itself — the concrete, brickwork, roof, and structure. The ATO allows you to claim 2.5% per year of the construction cost for buildings built after 15 September 1987.

A building constructed for $400,000 generates $10,000 in Division 43 deductions per year (2.5% × $400,000). These deductions continue for 40 years.

2. Division 40 — Plant and Equipment

These are the removable or mechanical assets within the property: ovens, dishwashers, air conditioning units, blinds, carpet, hot water systems. Each asset has its own depreciation life (e.g. carpet: 10 years; dishwasher: 12 years).

The effective life rates mean newer properties have the highest Division 40 claims — often $5,000–$15,000 in the first year alone.

How Much Can You Claim?

A brand-new 2-bedroom investment property in Sydney worth $650,000 might generate:

Depreciation TypeAnnual Claim
Division 43 (capital works)~$8,000–$12,000
Division 40 (plant & equipment)~$6,000–$14,000
Total (year 1)~$14,000–$26,000

At a 37% marginal tax rate, a $20,000 depreciation claim saves $7,400 in tax — money you receive back without spending anything.

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Older Properties and Depreciation

Division 43 only applies to buildings constructed after 15 September 1987. If you buy an older property, you can't claim the building allowance — but you can still claim Division 40 on plant and equipment that you install after purchase or that you replace.

Note: The 2017 budget removed Division 40 claims on second-hand residential properties for assets that were already in the property when you bought it. New purchases of brand-new property are unaffected.

What Is a Depreciation Schedule?

To claim depreciation properly, you need a quantity surveyor to prepare a tax depreciation schedule. This document itemises every claimable asset and building component, their effective lives, and the annual deduction amounts.

Cost: $300–$700 for a residential property. The schedule is itself a tax deduction in the year you obtain it. For a new property, it typically pays for itself in the first year's tax return many times over.

Does Depreciation Affect Your CGT When You Sell?

Yes. Division 43 depreciation claimed reduces your cost base for CGT purposes. So while you get the tax benefit now, you may pay slightly more CGT when you sell. For most investors holding for capital growth, the upfront tax benefit outweighs the future CGT impact — particularly since the 50% CGT discount applies after 12 months.

How to Get Your Depreciation Schedule

  1. Engage a quantity surveyor (your accountant or broker can recommend one)
  2. Provide access to the property (usually a 1-hour inspection)
  3. Receive a detailed report usable for all future tax returns
  4. Give the schedule to your accountant for annual claims

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The two depreciation categories — and why one is now restricted

Australian investment property depreciation splits into two buckets: capital works (Division 43) and plant and equipment (Division 40). Capital works is the building itself — bricks, concrete, tiles, fixtures permanently attached. Plant and equipment is removable items — carpets, blinds, dishwashers, ovens, hot water systems.

Capital works depreciation is straightforward: 2.5% per year of the original construction cost over 40 years from completion. A $400,000 build cost gives you $10,000/year of deductible depreciation for 40 years. This applies to almost any investment property where you can establish an original construction date after September 1987.

Plant and equipment changed materially in 2017. For investment properties bought as second-hand after 9 May 2017, you can no longer claim depreciation on existing plant and equipment items — only on new items you install yourself. New properties (off-the-plan or where you're the first occupant) still get the full plant and equipment claim. This makes new builds materially more tax-effective for investors than equivalent established properties — typically a $3,000–$8,000/year difference in deductions in the early years.

Why a quantity surveyor's report pays for itself

A quantity surveyor's depreciation schedule typically costs $500–$700 and gives you a 40-year deduction schedule for the property. For a typical Sydney investment property, that schedule will identify $5,000–$15,000 of deductions in year 1 alone. At a 37% marginal tax rate, that's $1,800–$5,500 in tax savings — meaning the schedule pays for itself 5–10x in the first year.

Most accountants don't prepare depreciation schedules themselves — they rely on a registered quantity surveyor's report. Without one, you're typically claiming nothing on the building (because the accountant has no construction cost to work from), losing tens of thousands of dollars in legitimate deductions over your holding period.

If you've owned the property for years without a depreciation schedule, you can typically still amend up to 2 prior years of tax returns to claim missed depreciation — sometimes resulting in a meaningful refund. Speak to our investor team about how depreciation interacts with your loan structure (interest-only vs P&I) for maximum tax efficiency.

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