Northern Beaches · NSW 2108
Tax agent in Palm Beach
Holiday homes, short-term rentals, retirement income and investments. Careful, up-to-date tax advice for Palm Beach owners from a registered tax agent based nearby in Avalon Beach.
Overview
Holiday homes, weekenders and year-round locals
Palm Beach sits at the northern tip of the peninsula, below Barrenjoey Headland, with Pittwater on one side and the ocean on the other. Alongside year-round residents, many homes here are weekenders or holiday houses, and some are rented out for part of the year.
That mix makes Palm Beach tax a little different. Holiday home owners need to understand the ATO's current approach to private use. Retirees want investment income and franking credits handled properly. And investors want to plan the tax on a sale well before they sign a contract.
Jan Jansen is a registered tax agent based nearby in Avalon Beach. He'll look closely at how your property is actually used, give you a fixed-fee quote and prepare everything himself.
Holiday homes
Rented out, or mainly yours?
If you rent out a holiday home for part of the year, you've always needed to apportion costs for the weeks you, your family and friends use it, and to claim only for periods it's rented or genuinely available for rent.
The ATO's current guidance goes further, treating a holiday home that isn't used or held mainly to earn rent as a leisure facility, so the costs of owning it generally can't be claimed at all, even for the weeks it's let. Under the ATO's transitional approach, the practical impact starts with expenses incurred from 1 July 2026.
Mainly rented out
Used or held mainly to earn rent
- Ownership costs such as interest, council rates and strata fees can generally be claimed, apportioned for any private use
- Direct letting costs, such as booking fees, advertising and cleaning after guests, can be claimed
- All rent received is declared as income
Mainly private
Kept mainly for you, family and friends
- Ownership costs such as interest, rates, strata fees, capital works and depreciation are generally not deductible, even for the weeks it's rented
- Direct letting costs, such as booking fees, advertising and cleaning after guest stays, can still be claimed
- All rent received is still declared as income
Whether a home is mainly rented out isn't simply a count of days. The ATO also looks at your private use and whether the property is available to guests when demand is highest, such as school holidays and the peak summer weeks.
Property investor tax returnsThe local picture
Beyond the holiday house
Not every Palm Beach tax question is about a holiday home. These come up too.
Owners who live elsewhere
If your main home is elsewhere in Sydney or interstate, your Palm Beach property is usually a second property for tax purposes. That shapes how rent and costs are treated now, and whether capital gains tax applies when you sell.
Retirees
Retirement can mean income from pensions, shares, term deposits and property all at once. Jan can confirm whether you need to lodge, claim franking credit refunds you're entitled to, and look at the timing of any asset sales.
Property investors
Long-term rental, short-stay let or both: Jan prepares rental schedules with depreciation and capital works claims applied correctly, and plans ahead for the negative gearing and capital gains tax changes from 1 July 2027.
Selling a property
For capital gains tax, the sale generally happens on the contract date, not at settlement, and your cost base includes costs such as stamp duty and legal fees. A planning conversation before you list makes the numbers much clearer.
Services
Services for Palm Beach owners
Property, investment income and planning, handled together.
Rental property & investors
Rental schedules, depreciation, holiday lets, shares and capital gains — prepared carefully so investors claim correctly and stay audit-ready.
From $340Learn more
Tax planning & advice
Considered, forward-looking advice before 30 June — structures, timing and the decisions that shape your tax position, explained in plain English.
From $180Learn more
Individual tax returns
Accurate, thoughtfully prepared returns for employees, retirees and investors — every deduction you're entitled to, properly documented.
From $220Learn more
Questions
Palm Beach questions
Answers to questions that come up in Palm Beach. Every situation is different, so treat these as a starting point.
Can I still claim expenses on a holiday home I rent out over summer?
Often, but it depends on how the property is used. You can generally claim for periods it's rented or genuinely available for rent, apportioned for private use. Under the ATO's current approach, if the home isn't used or held mainly to earn rent, ownership costs such as interest, rates and depreciation are generally denied, leaving only direct costs like advertising, booking fees and cleaning after guests.
Do stays by family and friends count as private use?
Yes, if they stay free of charge or at a discount. Those periods are treated as private, so related costs can't be claimed. A calendar showing who used the property, and when it was advertised and available, makes the apportionment much easier to support.
Is a holiday home exempt from capital gains tax?
Usually not. Generally only one property can be your main residence at a time, so a holiday home or weekender is typically subject to capital gains tax when you sell. The records you keep while you own it, such as purchase costs, improvements and rental history, will shape the tax on the eventual sale.
What records should I keep for a short-term rental?
Keep booking platform reports, advertising, receipts for cleaning and management fees, and a calendar showing when the property was rented, available or used privately. The ATO receives data from short-term rental platforms, so what you declare should line up with those reports.
I'm only in Palm Beach on weekends. Can we work together online?
Yes. The work is done by phone, video and email. If you'd like to meet while you're up, Jan can arrange that too.
Meeting
Working together from Palm Beach
Jan is based in Avalon Beach, a little south of Palm Beach, and can meet locally by arrangement. If you're only here on weekends or live elsewhere most of the year, everything can be handled online, so your return doesn't have to wait until you're next at the beach.
In person
In Palm Beach or nearby, by arrangement
Online
Phone or video calls, with documents sent by email
Hours
Monday – Friday, 9:00am – 5:30pm
Evenings & Saturdays: by appointment
Nearby
Around Palm Beach
Jan can also help in the neighbouring suburbs, online or in person by arrangement.
- Whale Beach
- Clareville
- Avalon Beach
- Careel Bay
Along the coast
Palm Beach to Manly
All Northern Beaches locations
Every suburb guide, and how working together works.
Palm Beach & online
Holiday home in the mix? Let's talk it through.
Tell Jan a little about your situation and he'll come back to you within one business day to arrange a free 15-minute intro call. No obligation, no hard sell.
Based in Avalon Beach · Online Australia-wide, in person on the Northern Beaches by arrangement