You are busy running the thing you run. You do not have time to read the federal budget. Nobody does. But a few lines from this year's budget are worth five minutes of your Tuesday, because one of them puts real money back in your pocket.
Three things changed for Australian one-person businesses on 1 July 2026. One is good news you can act on this week. Two are cost increases worth knowing about. Let's go through all three.
Three things changed on 1 July.
1. The instant asset write-off is now permanent.
If your business turns over less than $10 million a year, you can now claim the full cost of any single piece of equipment under $20,000 as an immediate tax deduction, the year you buy it. No spreading the cost over five years. No waiting. (Australian Taxation Office)
The threshold used to reset every year in the budget, which made it hard to plan around. As of the 2026-27 Budget, the $20,000 limit is locked in for good. No sunset date. No re-announcement needed next year. (SmartCompany, 2026)
For a one-person business, this covers more than you might think. A new laptop. A proper camera for your portfolio. A tattoo chair. A hair dryer station. A ute tray for a mobile trade. The limit applies per item, so you can claim several purchases in the same year as long as each one is under $20,000.
$20,000 is the new permanent limit for instant asset write-offs, for any Australian business turning over under $10 million a year. Australian Taxation Office, Small business support: $20,000 instant asset write-off.2. Minimum wage went up 4.75%.
The Fair Work Commission lifted the National Minimum Wage to $26.44 an hour, or $1,004.90 a week for a full-time role, from the first full pay period after 1 July 2026. That is a 4.75% rise. (Fair Work Ombudsman, 2026)
Most one-person businesses do not have staff. But if you bring on a casual for a busy season, or you pay a contractor under an award, this is the number your rate now has to clear.
3. Some fees crept up too.
ASIC lifted its business name registration fee from $45 to $47 for one year, and from $104 to $108 for three years. Small on its own. Worth knowing before you renew. (Lawpath, 2026)
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What this means for you.
If you have been putting off buying the equipment that would make your work easier, this is the year to do it. The camera. The proper booking tablet. The new chair. The tools that let you serve more people or do better work for the people you already have. Talk to your accountant, but the door is open, and it stays open every year from here.
Your website counts too. A website is a business asset, the same as a chair or a laptop. If you have been meaning to build the site that makes you look as good as your work, the maths on doing it this financial year just got better.
None of this is complicated. But it is easy to miss when nobody hands you the memo. So here is the memo.
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1.73 million Australians already run a one-person business. (File 01) The rules just got a little friendlier to the ones who plan ahead.