How to self - assess as a PSB

Once you have worked out the income you have received is PSI the next step is to work out whether the PSI rules apply to you.

To do this, you need to work out if you are a personal services business (PSB) in the year that you received PSI. If you self-assess as a personal service business the PSI rules do not apply to your PSI.

You can self-assess as a PSB if you:

  • meet the results test in relation to at least 75% of your PSI, or
  • meet one of the other PSB tests (Unrelated clients test, the Employment test, the Business premises test) and less than 80% of your PSI is from the same entity and its associates.

If you're a company, partnership or trust and you have more than one individual generating PSI, the self-assessment rules and PSB tests need to be applied to each individual.

It is possible for one individual to conduct a PSB but not another.

If you are unable to self-assess as a PSB for a particular income year, you may be able to apply to the ATO for a personal services business determination (PSBD) in some circumstances. A PSBD is a notice from the Commissioner of Taxation which states that one of the PSB tests has been met for the relevant income year.

If you self-assess as a PSB, or have a PSBD, then the PSI rules will not apply to the PSI you receive in that income year.

If you are unable to self-assess as a PSB, and do not have a PSBD for the relevant income year, the PSI rules will apply. You may find this flow chart useful in determining whether the PSI rules apply to you or your business.

PSI flowchart. Is the income PSI? If No, the PSI rules do not apply. If Yes. Whose PSI is it. Once you know whose PSI it is – ask – are you a personal services business? Does the individual earning the PSI meet at least one of the following PSB tests? Results test, unrelated clients test, employment test, or business premises test? You can consider any or all of the PSB tests in any order. Note if more than 80% of your personal services income is from one source, you can only self-assess against the results test. If you answer yes to ‘are you a personal services business, the PSI rules do not apply. If no – do you have a personal services business determination? If yes, the PSI rules do not apply. If no, the PSI rules apply.

 

Personal services income

Steps Progress

What is PSI?

4 mins

Is the income PSI?

5 mins

Income that is not PSI

9 mins

Whose PSI is it?

7 mins

Working out if the PSI rules apply: self-assess as a personal service business (PSB)

2 mins

The 80% rule

5 mins

Results test

8 mins

Unrelated clients test

5 mins

Employment test

5 mins

Business premises test

7 mins

Obtaining work through an agency

5 mins

Apply for a personal services business determination (PSBD)

3 mins

What to do when the PSI rules apply

2 mins

What to do when the PSI rules apply: claiming deductions

11 mins

What to do when the PSI rules apply: how to attribute PSI

8 mins

What to do when the PSI rules apply: PAYG

18 mins

What to do when the PSI rules apply: completing your tax return

4 mins

What to do if the PSI rules don’t apply

3 mins

Record keeping for PSI

1 mins

Help for PSI

1 mins

Case study: instructions

1 mins

Case studies: sole trader

11 mins

Case studies: partnership

12 mins

Case studies: company

12 mins

Case studies: trust

12 mins

Related courses

1 mins

Course Feedback