Tax deductions and accounting for concreters.
You can generally claim your concreting tools, machinery, vehicle and safety gear against your income, along with formwork and materials supplied on a job, provided they relate to earning that income and you keep records. This guide covers what concreters typically claim, how GST and progress billing work on bigger jobs, and how we run the books for concreting businesses. We're Brisbane based and work with concreters across Australia.
Updated July 2026 · Reviewed by the LINK Advisors team
What concreters can claim.
The deductions that matter most in your trade, in rough order of value. Every one still has to pass the ATO's tests: you paid for it, it relates to earning your income, and you can show a record.
Concreting tools and equipment
Screeds, bull floats, trowels, vibrators and small mixers used for your work are generally deductible, either claimed outright or depreciated depending on cost - check the current instant asset write-off threshold with us.
Machinery purchase or hire
Bobcats, mixer trucks or other machinery you own for concreting work are generally deductible through depreciation, and machinery hired for a specific job is generally deductible as a job cost.
Work vehicle running costs
Your ute or truck used to move between sites and carry equipment is generally deductible for its business-use portion under the logbook or cents-per-kilometre method.
Formwork and job materials
Formwork timber, mesh, reinforcing and other materials you supply on a job are generally deductible as a cost of that job.
Respiratory protection and silica dust gear
Respirators and dust control equipment used to protect you from silica dust when cutting or grinding concrete are generally deductible, and increasingly expected as standard practice on site.
Protective clothing and knee protection
Steel-cap boots, knee pads and other protective gear specific to concreting work are generally deductible. Ordinary clothes worn under them aren't.
Public liability and equipment insurance
Premiums for public liability cover and insurance on machinery and equipment are generally deductible.
Licensing and site safety training
Contractor licensing fees where required, along with silica dust awareness and other site safety training, are generally deductible.
Quoting and job costing software
Software used to quote jobs by volume or area and track costs against each pour is generally deductible.
Mobile phone and data
The work-use portion of your phone and data for site photos, quoting and coordination is generally deductible.
GST and BAS, without the headaches.
Concreting jobs often involve supply-and-lay arrangements where you're both providing the concrete (or arranging its supply) and the labour to place and finish it, so GST generally applies to the full invoiced amount including any markup on materials, not just your labour margin.
Larger commercial pours are often billed through progress claims, with retention held back until any defects period passes. GST is generally payable as each claim is raised, so it's worth planning your BAS around the project's billing schedule rather than the date retention actually lands in your account.
If you use subcontractors for finishing work, pumping or additional labour on bigger jobs, a Taxable Payments Annual Report is likely to apply. We prepare this from your Xero data each year.
Sole trader, company or trust?
Concreting carries meaningful liability, structural slabs, driveways and footings that fail can be expensive to remediate and often carry warranty periods, which pushes plenty of concreters toward a company structure earlier than lower-risk trades, particularly once machinery and equipment values start climbing. Sole trader still suits solo operators doing smaller residential jobs early on. Worth reviewing your structure as job size and equipment value grow, given how much can be tied up in machinery on a concreter's balance sheet.
Run the jobs, we run the numbers.
Quoting by volume or area, then tracking actual materials, labour and machinery hire against each pour, is where concreting margins are won or lost. Job costing software connected to Xero gives you that picture job by job, rather than a single number at the end of the month that doesn't tell you which jobs were actually worth doing.
Frequently asked questions.
Can I claim my mixer truck or bobcat?
Generally yes. Machinery you own for concreting work is deductible through depreciation over its effective life, and machinery you hire for a specific job is deductible as a cost of that job. We'll work out the right treatment based on how you use it.
Can I claim my work vehicle?
Yes, generally for the business-use portion under the logbook or cents-per-kilometre method, in the same way as most other trades.
Do I charge GST on the concrete I supply as well as my labour?
If you're GST registered, yes, on the full amount you charge the client for both the concrete and your labour, including any markup, not just your margin on the concrete itself.
Should my concreting business be a company?
Given the warranty exposure on structural work like slabs and footings, plenty of concreters move to a company structure earlier than trades with lower defect risk, especially once machinery values grow. It's worth a proper conversation rather than defaulting either way.
Can I claim silica dust protection equipment?
Yes, respirators and dust control equipment used to protect you from silica dust when cutting or grinding concrete are generally deductible, and it's worth treating as standard kit given the health risks involved.
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