Are you prioritising your continuous learning and development?

Our continuous learning is often overlooked as we progress our careers and get focused on the work in front of us.

In addition, we often find ourselves putting off personal and professional development as we try to balance the various areas of our lives.

We often speak with contractors who feel their only option is to undertake some learning and development ‘later’, once they can afford it. As a contractor, it can feel like you constantly miss out training opportunities, as you are not afforded the luxury of an organisation training budget, which is used for permanent employees. And, so, self-funding your training and development is a huge consideration – how will it impact your home finances?

In the rapidly evolving technology sector, the question is ‘can you afford not to invest in your learning and development’.

We can stay on top of developments in our current workplaces, but without broader learning and development across the tech sector, we can get left behind.

It’s important to up-skill regularly to meet the demands of the every-evolving tech landscape and to ensure you can be competitive when looking for new contracts, or asking for a higher rate as your current contract work evolves.

In short, you shouldn’t put off your learning and development, and you don’t need to either.

We’re here to help!

We value learning and development and see continuous learning as a key to career/business success. That is why we can help you understand your options about how you can invest in your continuous learning, without worrying about the financial pinch.

Continuous learning activities, such as short courses, workshops, networking, subscriptions, postgraduate qualifications, conferences, seminars and more, can be deducted from your taxable income, including through salary sacrifice, to help you maximise your pay.

This means that not only can each continuous learning activity you undertake set you up for that next career step, it can save you money through a tax deduction. We call this maximising your pay!

Salary sacrifice

As we noted in our recent blog ‘Are you using your pay to its full potential?’, salary sacrifice is a great tool for contractors wanting to maximise their pay. It allows you to minimise your taxable income, often leaving you in a better financial place in the long run. And, in the case of learning expenses, also leaving you with increased knowledge and earning potential!

If you’re looking at your continuous education this year, be sure to chat with us about how you can use salary sacrifice or your tax return to help you up-skill and maximise your pay at the same time.

Join us for breakfast and learn more…

Be sure to register for our FREE ‘How To Maximise Your Pay As A Contractor’ breakfast seminar, to be held in Canberra on 21 March. At the seminar you will learn from our experts about how to maximise your pay through car leasing, the purchase of portable hardware (smartphones, tablets, laptops, etc.), the use of a leave account, and the salary sacrifice or tax minimisation of business expenses (education, allowances, subscriptions, etc.). To find out more and to register, visit our Eventbrite post.

As the seminar is a fully catered and seated event, registrations are essential.

Questions?

If you have any questions about how to salary sacrifice, or claim on tax your continuous learning, email or call us. Our details are on our contact us page.