Tax 101 for property investors

Negative gearing in 2026, depreciation schedules that pay for themselves, CGT discount nuances, PAYG income tax variation. We are not tax advisers, speak to a registered tax agent.

13 min readBy James MitchellStage 4 of 7

Negative gearing is a deduction, not a strategy. The strategy is total after-tax return. Here’s the cost-base maths most investors get wrong.

Depreciation

A quantity surveyor’s schedule on a post-2017 build often returns $4,000–$9,000/yr in non-cash deductions. The schedule itself costs $700–$900 and is itself deductible.

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Note: This is general information only and is not tax, legal or financial advice. Speak with an appropriately licensed professional before acting.

WARNING: This comparison rate is true only for the examples given and may not include all fees and charges. Different terms, fees or other loan amounts might result in a different comparison rate. Comparison rates are calculated on a secured loan of $150,000 over 25 years for home loans and a loan of $30,000 over 5 years for car and personal loans, unless the lender states another basis. Business loans and equipment finance for a business purpose have no mandatory comparison rate.