This is on behalf of cricket umpires…or any sort of umpires…acting as a hobby.
We’re finding it hard to get new umpires because the old codgers are worried that the pay for umpires is going to cause them to lose pension entitlements.
We’ve always heard that umpires’ fees are not counted as assessable income for tax purposes, because it’s considered a hobby and your expenses in getting to the ground, equipment etc pretty much balance against the pay. That’s whether you’re on the pension or not.
However, is it counted as income when reducing pension amounts? We’d need chapter and verse quotes from official rulings.
We know there’s a limit, but that’s said to really only apply to umpires with professional contracts. The pay is paid in fortnightly via bank accounts, so impossible to hide. The comp we absorbed a couple of years ago paid cash on the day, and a lot of their umpires prefer to keep that going and umpire in the lower divisions for their old clubs. An added benefit is that their wives don’t see it and it’s pocket money for a beer or ten.
Services Australia website has lots of info. I think the fact the ATO states it’s a hobby rather than work means you’re in the clear as you only need to report “income” to Services Australia.
I can’t find anything remotely relevant there, but there’s a Work Bonus of $300 per fortnight which isn’t assessable against the pension. Division 2 umpires could get $330 for 2 days, Division 1 $400.
