What is a finfluencer?
A finfluencer is a type of social media influencer who focuses on financial topics. Using platforms such as Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and Twitter, they share content on personal finance, investing, budgeting and tax tips. With their huge audiences and persuasive language, they come across as legitimate professionals. While some may offer useful insights and sound budgeting advice, it’s important to approach their tax and financial advice with caution.
Many finfluencers make money by promoting financial products on behalf of companies, which means that they don’t necessarily have your best interests in mind when sharing information or insights. And they aren’t always qualified to provide advice on tax or financial products – unfortunately some share tax hacks that are either completely false or apply only in extremely limited situations. We’re seeing examples of misleading claims, exaggerated deductions and outright misinformation. Relying on this advice could not only leave you out of pocket but also expose you to ATO penalties, fines or in the worst case scenario, prosecution.
If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is
The ATO and some of the accounting professional bodies have sounded the alarm on some recent false claims, including:
- Claiming your pet as a work related guard dog
- Writing off luxury handbags as laptop bags
- Deducting fuel costs without any documentation
- Trying to claim swimwear as a work uniform
These kinds of suggestions might sound plausible but following them could get you into serious trouble. The ATO uses sophisticated data matching tools to detect suspicious or inflated claims. If your deductions don’t meet the legal criteria, this could trigger an audit and if mistakes are found, the consequences can include:
- An increased tax liability
- Interest charges
- Fines
- A criminal record and in the most serious cases, imprisonment
How to stay safe and tax smart
- If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Dodgy deduction tips on social media are best ignored, at least until they can be verified.
- Stick to trusted sources. For official tax guidance, visit ato.gov.au
- Don’t risk your business or personal reputation for a quick deduction.
How we can help:
If you aren’t sure, please reach out to us and we can help you stay compliant, no filters or hashtags!
