Private ruling: Assessability of prize money
Date of advice: 27 October 2016
Published: February 2017
Ruling period: Year ended 30 June xxxx
Date scheme commenced: 1 July xxxx

Ruling: Q1: Is the cash prize awarded to you for the relevant Award assessable income? | A1: No.


Relevant legislative provisions: Income Tax Assessment Act 1997 Section 6-10 | Income Tax Assessment Act 1997 Subsection 6-5(1) | Income Tax Assessment Act 1997 Subsection 15-2(1)

Reasons for decision: Summary: As the prize money you received does not constitute either ordinary or statutory income it is not assessable income. | Detailed Reasoning - Detailed reasoning: A prize or gift will be assessable income if it is: ● income in the ordinary sense of the word (ordinary income), or ● the provisions of the tax law include it as assessable income (statutory income). | Detailed Reasoning - Ordinary income: Under subsection 6-5(1) of the Income Tax Assessment Act 1997 (ITAA 1997 ), ordinary income means income 'according to ordinary concepts'. Generally, a gift or prize is regarded as a personal windfall gain and not as ordinary income unless the taxpayer has received the prize or gift because of, in respect of, or in relation to any income-producing activity of the taxpayer. In determining whether a prize or gift is ordinary income, the courts have established that consideration of the whole of the circumstances is necessary and that the following factors need to be taken into account: ● how, in what capacity, and for what reason the recipient received the prize or gift ● whether the prize or gift is of a kind which is a common incident of the recipient's calling or occupation ● whether the prize or gift is made voluntarily ● whether the prize or gift is solicited ● whether the prize or gift can be traced to gratitude engendered by some service rendered by the recipient to the prize or gift donor ● the motive of the prize or gift donor (through this factor is rarely decisive in itself), and ● whether the recipient relies on the prize or gift for regular maintenance of themselves and any dependants. | Detailed Reasoning - Statutory income: Under section 6-10 of the ITAA 1997 assessable income also includes statutory income. Statutory income is amounts that are not ordinary assessable income. Subsection 15-2(1) of the ITAA 1997 provides that the value to the taxpayer of all gratuities and benefits given or granted to them in respect to, or for, or in relation directly, or indirectly, to any employment will be included in their assessable income. There must be a connection between the payment and the employment. The receipt must be a product of the employment. | Detailed Reasoning - Application to your circumstances: The award is a national-level award. The awards are made to various people in recognition of their contributions to literature or cultural exchanges. The cash prize was not remuneration for services you have provided as an employee. The cash prize was not solicited by you as indeed you were unaware of your nomination. You were not relying on winning the prize to provide for your regular maintenance. The prize money is a windfall gain. Therefore, the prize money is not assessable as ordinary or statutory income.

Relevant facts: You are employed fulltime. | You are a professional academic who writes books for research and teaching purposes. You have written a number of books over the years | You received a relevant Award at a ceremony. | You did not nominate yourself for the award and advise that you were nominated by unknown persons on the basis of your overall body of works. | It was never your aim to seek financial reward through competition.