Can I claim expenses for business-related online courses and webinars?

Understanding what “claiming expenses” really means

Business owners and self-employed professionals often invest in training to stay competitive, comply with regulations, or sharpen specialist skills. If you pay for an online course or a webinar and it genuinely supports your work, it may be possible to treat the cost as a business expense. In everyday terms, “claiming” an expense means including it in your business accounts so it reduces your taxable profit. Lower taxable profit generally means a smaller tax bill.

That said, training costs have a reputation for being tricky because they sit on the border between “business improvement” and “personal development.” Many people assume that anything that makes them better at their job is automatically deductible. In reality, tax rules (and how they are applied in practice) tend to focus on the purpose of the training and whether it maintains or updates existing skills used in your current business, rather than helping you start something new or enter a new field.

This article explains how to think about business-related online courses and webinars from an expense-claim perspective, what makes a cost more or less likely to qualify, what evidence you should keep, and how to avoid the most common pitfalls. It also explores different business structures, mixed-use situations (where a course is partly personal), subscription learning platforms, certificates, travel add-ons, and what to do when you are unsure.

The core principle: business purpose and “wholly and exclusively”

When you claim a business expense, the central idea is that the cost must be incurred for business reasons, not personal ones. In many tax systems, the standard is often described as “wholly and exclusively” for the purposes of the trade. While the exact wording and enforcement can vary by jurisdiction, the underlying theme is consistent: you need to be able to explain how the expense supports your business activities.

For online courses and webinars, the key question is usually: does this training maintain, update, or improve the skills and knowledge you already use in your existing business? If the answer is yes, the expense is generally easier to justify. If the training helps you gain a new skill set for a different line of work, pivot into a new industry, or start a new business activity, the expense becomes harder to defend as a cost of your current trade.

Think of it as the difference between sharpening the tools you already use versus buying a whole new toolbox for a different job. A webinar that updates you on changes in industry regulations, software updates, or best practices tied to your current services typically looks like a business expense. A course that trains you to qualify for a new profession you have not previously practiced often looks more like a personal or capital investment in your future earning power.

Online courses and webinars: what usually counts as an allowable expense

Although every case is fact-specific, there are common patterns in training that tends to be accepted as business-related:

1) Keeping your existing professional skills current

If you already provide a service or run a business that depends on up-to-date knowledge, training that refreshes or improves those existing skills is often seen as directly connected to your income-earning activities. Examples include continuing professional development modules, software updates for tools you already use, new features training for platforms you deploy for clients, or webinars on changes in legislation affecting your work.

2) Training required by regulation or professional standards

Some professions require formal continuing education to maintain membership, licensing, or certification. If you must complete a certain number of learning hours to continue trading legally or to keep a credential you already hold and use, the business link is typically straightforward.

3) Short, targeted learning that supports current clients or current offerings

Courses that improve your ability to deliver services you already sell are usually easier to justify than broader “career change” programs. A designer taking a course on advanced typography to improve client work is a simpler narrative than the same designer enrolling in a full-stack software engineering bootcamp to become a developer.

4) Internal training for a business with employees

If you run a business that employs staff, training costs may be claimable when they are genuinely provided to improve performance, ensure compliance, or maintain standards. For online training platforms, it helps to document how the training fits the role and what outcomes are expected.

5) Industry conferences delivered virtually

Many webinars are part of virtual conferences or professional events. If attendance is directly relevant to your trade and you use it to maintain professional competence, the cost may qualify. However, if the event includes significant entertainment, lifestyle, or personal elements, you may need to consider whether part of the cost is personal.

When training is less likely to qualify

The biggest red flag for training expenses is when the training is aimed at getting you into a new line of work. Even if you believe the training will ultimately help you earn more money, the question is whether it relates to your current business activities at the time you incur the cost.

1) Training to start a new trade, business, or career

A course that qualifies you to enter a new profession, such as becoming a therapist, a pilot, a teacher, or a software engineer when you are not already operating in that field, is often viewed as a personal investment rather than a cost of your existing business. The logic is that the course gives you a new income-earning capacity rather than helping you do your existing work.

2) Broad personal development, lifestyle, or self-improvement courses

Courses on general confidence, mindfulness, productivity, personal finance, or general leadership can be valuable, but they can be hard to connect “wholly and exclusively” to a specific business activity unless you can demonstrate a clear professional requirement and direct relevance to your trade.

3) Qualifications that fundamentally change what you do

Some training sits in a grey zone: it may be related to your industry, yet it is substantial enough that it expands you into a new professional capacity. Longer programs that lead to a new qualification or status can be more difficult to treat as an ordinary business cost, especially when they enable you to start offering a new category of service.

4) Hobby-like or personal interest learning

It is common for business owners to buy courses out of curiosity. If the subject is not clearly connected to your business operations, claiming it as a business expense is risky. For example, a marketing consultant taking a pottery course “to relax” is unlikely to be defensible as a business expense, even if stress management could indirectly improve performance.

Online training costs you can potentially include

If the training itself is allowable, you will usually want to understand what counts as part of that cost. Depending on what you pay for, expenses can include:

Course or webinar fee: The ticket price, enrolment fee, or pay-per-view cost for the session.

Platform subscription: Monthly or annual fees to a learning platform, provided the subscription is used for business-relevant training.

Examination fees: Fees for exams or assessments tied to maintaining existing qualifications used in the business (and sometimes for short course assessments that demonstrate competency).

Course materials: Digital workbooks, templates, practice datasets, or required software for the course, if these are used for business purposes.

Certificates: Administrative fees for certificates of completion, if the course itself is allowable and the certificate relates to your professional competence.

VAT or sales tax: Whether you can reclaim VAT (or claim sales tax credits) depends on your tax registration status and local rules, but from a record-keeping perspective, document it clearly.

Payment processing fees: If your business card is charged an additional fee by a vendor or platform, that fee may also be a business cost.

Mixed-purpose courses: when a course is partly business and partly personal

Many training programs include modules that are highly relevant and modules that are not. Or you might use a learning platform partly for work and partly for personal curiosity. Mixed-use is common and manageable if you are honest and consistent.

If the primary purpose is business, some jurisdictions may still expect you to adjust for any significant personal element. Other systems can be stricter and may disallow the expense if personal benefit is more than incidental. The safest approach is to allocate the expense based on a reasonable method and keep notes explaining how you arrived at the split.

For example, if you pay for a subscription and use 70% of the courses for client-related learning and 30% for personal interest topics, you might claim 70% as a business expense. Your evidence could be your learning history, course list, and a short written explanation. While no allocation method is perfect, what matters is that the method is reasonable, repeatable, and supported by some form of documentation.

Subscription learning platforms: how to justify them

Subscription platforms are increasingly popular because they bundle thousands of courses into a single monthly fee. This can make expense justification slightly different compared to a single webinar ticket, because the subscription is open-ended and may cover a broad range of topics.

To strengthen your position when claiming subscription-based learning:

Choose relevant courses: Build a habit of focusing on learning that clearly supports your business services.

Document your learning plan: Even a simple list of “Courses planned for Q1 to support client work” can help show business intent.

Keep usage records: Screenshots of course completion, learning history exports, or confirmation emails can help show the subscription was not just a personal entertainment service.

Allocate if necessary: If you use the platform for personal learning too, keep a reasonable split and apply it consistently.

Certificates, CPD hours, and professional memberships

Many online courses issue certificates, and some are eligible for formal CPD credits. Certificates can be useful evidence because they demonstrate participation and sometimes specify the subject and hours completed.

In addition to certificates, professional memberships often provide access to webinars and training libraries as part of annual dues. If your membership is required for your trade or materially supports your current business, membership fees and included training may be easier to justify. If the membership is primarily social or prestige-oriented with minimal business relevance, that is less clear-cut.

For CPD specifically, keep a log of your completed training: date, course title, provider, hours, and how it relates to your work. This can also be useful beyond tax, such as client proposals, compliance audits, or professional revalidation processes.

Training that creates new revenue streams: a common grey area

Not all “new” learning is a problem. Businesses evolve, and owners constantly add skills. The issue is how far the learning takes you away from your existing trade and whether it is essentially training for a new profession rather than improving competence in the current one.

A small expansion of an existing service is generally easier to support than a complete change. For example:

Incremental expansion: A social media consultant taking a course on short-form video editing to add better content services to existing clients.

Major shift: The same consultant taking a multi-year program to qualify as a lawyer or an accountant.

Where the line sits can depend on your facts: what you already do, what you already sell, what you advertised before taking the course, and how the training is used immediately in the business. If you already provide adjacent services, training that deepens your competence may be more defensible than training that establishes an entirely new professional identity.

What about sole traders, partnerships, and limited companies?

Your business structure can affect how training costs are treated and how you document them, though the relevance test remains the heart of the matter.

Sole traders and partnerships

For self-employed individuals, training needs a clear link to the trade. The “personal benefit” argument is often raised against training because the individual personally gains knowledge. This is why having a strong narrative and supporting documents matters.

Limited companies

Where a company pays for an employee’s training (including a director who is also an employee), the expense can still be claimable if it is incurred for business purposes. However, if the training provides a significant personal benefit unrelated to the business, it may raise questions about whether it is a business expense or a form of taxable benefit to the individual.

From a practical perspective, companies should document why the training was provided, how it supports the employee’s role, and what business outcomes are expected. This can be as simple as a training request form or internal email approval that connects the course to the job duties.

Record-keeping: what to keep so your claim is credible

When you claim any expense, the quality of your records matters. For online courses and webinars, record-keeping can be particularly important because the “business purpose” is not always obvious from an invoice alone.

Good evidence usually includes:

Invoices and receipts: Showing the supplier name, date, amount, and what was purchased.

Course description: A saved copy or screenshot of the course landing page, agenda, or syllabus that explains what the course covers.

Proof of attendance or completion: Certificate, webinar attendance confirmation, or learning platform completion record.

Business rationale note: A short note you write at the time you buy the course explaining how it supports your current business activities. Keep it simple: “Needed to deliver X project,” “Updates on new compliance rules,” “Improve skill used in current client work.”

Payment evidence: Bank statement line items or card statements showing the payment, if your receipt is minimal.

It is also wise to keep the records in a consistent place, tagged by year and category. Training expenses can be grouped under “Professional development,” “Training,” or “Education” depending on your accounting system.

How to describe training expenses in your accounts

Clear categorization can help you understand spending and strengthen your story if questions arise. Many businesses use an expense category such as “Training and development” or “Professional education.” Avoid lumping training into vague buckets like “Miscellaneous,” especially if it is a meaningful amount.

If you know an expense may be borderline, add an internal note in your bookkeeping software with the business rationale and attach supporting documents. The goal is to avoid trying to reconstruct the reason a year later when your memory is fuzzy and the course page has changed.

Common pitfalls that get training claims challenged

Even when the training feels business-related, claims can become vulnerable due to avoidable mistakes.

1) The course title looks personal

Sometimes the content is relevant, but the course name sounds like lifestyle coaching or self-help. In these cases, it helps to retain the syllabus and note which modules relate to business. If you cannot link it clearly, consider not claiming it or claiming only the business-related portion where allocation is reasonable.

2) No evidence beyond a credit card line

Online vendors can disappear, change names, or provide minimal receipts. Always download invoices and keep them. If the platform only issues an email confirmation, save it as a PDF. Screenshots are better than nothing, but invoices are preferable.

3) Claiming training taken “before” the business started

If you take a course before you begin trading, it may be difficult to claim as a current business expense. Some systems may allow certain pre-trading expenses under specific rules; others may not. If you are pre-launch, treat training costs with caution and keep meticulous records of timing, business plans, and when trading begins.

4) Mixing personal and business training without an allocation

Subscription platforms make it easy to casually take personal courses. If you claim the full cost while your usage is mixed, your claim can look inflated. A reasonable split often looks more credible than an all-or-nothing approach.

5) Claiming large qualifications that enable a new profession

Big programs that clearly create a new income-earning capacity can be hard to justify as ordinary business expenses. The more substantial the training, the higher the scrutiny tends to be.

Special situations: bundles, upsells, and add-on costs

Many training purchases include extras. Here is how to think about common add-ons:

Course bundles

If you purchase a bundle that includes several courses, some relevant and some not, you may need to allocate the cost. Keep the bundle breakdown and identify which components support the business.

VIP tickets, networking lounges, and entertainment

Some webinar events sell premium packages that include networking sessions, “mastermind” social calls, or entertainment-style elements. If these are primarily business networking and genuinely support your trade, they may still be connected to business. If they are largely social or personal enrichment, the link is weaker. When in doubt, keep evidence of the agenda and consider allocating.

Software or tool access included with the course

A course might include access to a tool, template library, or a proprietary software platform. If the tool is used in your business, the cost may still be allowable, but you should document how it is used. If the tool is essentially a personal app or unrelated subscription, it may complicate the claim.

Refunds and chargebacks

If you receive a refund, you should adjust your accounts accordingly. Keep the refund confirmation. If you claimed an expense and later received a refund in a different period, record it properly so your accounts reflect the true net cost.

Practical tests you can apply before claiming

If you want a simple way to decide whether a course or webinar is likely to be claimable, try these practical questions:

Does it relate to what I currently do? If you can describe your current business and connect the course content directly to it, you are on safer ground.

Would I buy this if I did not run this business? If the honest answer is “yes, I would buy it anyway,” that suggests a personal purpose may be significant.

Can I point to a specific business outcome? Such as delivering a project, improving a service you already sell, meeting a professional requirement, or keeping up with industry change.

Is the benefit primarily personal or primarily commercial? Many things have both benefits, but you should be able to argue that the business purpose dominates.

Can I document the link? If you cannot keep evidence beyond a vague memory, the claim becomes harder to support.

Examples: how different training purchases might be treated

Examples help illustrate how the “business link” idea plays out in practice. These are not guarantees, but they can guide your thinking.

Example A: A freelance accountant takes a webinar on updated tax rules

This is strongly connected to the accountant’s current work and helps maintain competence. The cost is typically easy to justify as a business expense.

Example B: A wedding photographer takes a course on advanced lighting techniques

This directly improves a skill used in the existing business. It is generally easier to treat as business-related training.

Example C: A graphic designer enrolls in a certification to become a project manager

This might be a grey area. If the designer already provides creative project management services and the certification supports those existing offerings, it could be argued as relevant. If the certification is primarily a career pivot into a new role, it is less likely to qualify.

Example D: A personal trainer takes an online nutrition course

Potentially relevant, but the details matter. If the trainer already provides nutrition coaching as part of their services and the course updates knowledge used with clients, the link is stronger. If it is a major qualification that repositions them into a new regulated practice, the link can weaken.

Example E: A consultant buys a mindfulness program to reduce stress

Stress reduction can help performance, but the cost is often viewed as personal. Unless the consultant can demonstrate a direct business requirement (for example, it is part of a structured occupational health plan for employees), it may be difficult to claim.

What to do if the webinar includes a recording library you can access later

Many webinars now include access to a recording for months or years. From an expense perspective, the presence of a recording usually does not change the nature of the cost. It is still training. What matters is whether it was purchased for business purposes and how it supports your current trade.

However, long access periods can blur the time relationship. If you claim a cost in one year but mainly consume the content later, it is still usually acceptable as long as the purchase was for business reasons at the time. Keep the purchase date, the access terms, and your rationale note.

International providers and currency issues

Online learning is global. You may buy a course from a provider in a different country and pay in another currency. This does not automatically change whether the expense is allowable, but it does affect record-keeping.

Keep the invoice showing the currency and the amount charged. Your bookkeeping should record the converted value according to your accounting practices. Also note any additional fees such as foreign transaction charges, which may be part of the overall cost of obtaining the training.

Handling tax at the point of sale: VAT, GST, and sales taxes

Online training may include VAT, GST, or sales taxes depending on where you are located and the provider’s tax status. Whether you can reclaim those taxes depends on local rules and your registration status. Even when you cannot reclaim the tax, it is typically part of the cost you paid and should be recorded accurately.

For documentation, keep invoices that show the tax breakdown. If the provider claims the service is tax-exempt or zero-rated, keep the invoice and any related terms. The main point is consistency: record what you actually paid and retain proof.

If you are unsure: risk management and professional advice

Training expense claims can range from very straightforward to genuinely uncertain. If you are unsure, consider these approaches:

Take the conservative route: If the training is borderline and the cost is small, you may decide not to claim it to avoid headaches.

Claim with strong documentation: If you believe the business link is solid, claim it but keep clear evidence, your rationale note, and any allocation calculations.

Ask a qualified professional: If the amount is significant or the training is a major program, professional advice can be worthwhile. Provide your adviser with the course details, your business description, and how you intend to use the learning in the business.

Be consistent year to year: Inconsistency can raise questions. If you treat similar training differently without a reason, it can look arbitrary.

How to strengthen your position before you buy the course

The best time to create evidence is before or at the time you incur the expense, not months later. Here are small steps that can help:

Write a short justification: A one-paragraph note: what the course is, why it is needed for your business now, and what work it supports.

Save the syllabus and agenda: Course pages can change or disappear. Capture the description at purchase time.

Pay from the business account: This is not a requirement in all cases, but it makes bookkeeping cleaner and signals business intent. If you pay personally, reimburse properly and keep the paper trail.

Choose courses aligned with your current offerings: The closer the course is to your current services and clients, the stronger the narrative.

Frequently asked questions about claiming online training

Can I claim a course if it helps me win more clients?

Possibly, if the course teaches skills you use in your existing business. For example, a webinar on proposal writing or client onboarding processes can be closely tied to business operations. If it is a broad “how to become a consultant” course when you are not yet trading, it is less likely to qualify as a cost of an existing trade.

Can I claim training that teaches me a new software tool?

Often yes, if the tool is used in your current business. Learning a new accounting package you are switching to, or a design tool you are adopting for client work, is usually easier to justify than learning a tool for a completely different profession.

What if the course is both business and personal development?

If there is a genuine mixed purpose, consider allocating the cost based on reasonable usage or module relevance. Keep records showing how you arrived at the split.

Can I claim courses that lead to a qualification?

It depends on what the qualification does. If it maintains or updates an existing professional standing you already use in the business, it may be more defensible. If it enables you to enter a new profession or fundamentally changes your trade, it is less likely to be treated as an ordinary business expense.

Do I need to complete the course to claim it?

Completion can help evidence your business intent, but the key point is the purpose at the time of purchase. If you enroll for business reasons and later cannot complete due to workload or other circumstances, the cost may still be a business expense. Keep the purchase documentation and your rationale note.

Conclusion: a sensible approach to claiming online course and webinar expenses

Yes, you may be able to claim expenses for business-related online courses and webinars, but the strength of your claim rests on relevance and intent. Training that maintains, updates, or improves skills used in your existing business is generally easier to justify. Training aimed at entering a new profession, starting a new trade, or pursuing broad personal development is more likely to be questioned or disallowed.

To keep things clean, treat training as you would any other business cost: document it, categorize it properly, and be prepared to explain how it supports your income-earning activities. Save invoices and course descriptions, keep proof of attendance or completion where possible, and write a short business rationale at the time of purchase. If the training is mixed-use, allocate sensibly and keep the evidence. And if the amount is significant or the situation is borderline, consider getting professional guidance so you can claim with confidence and consistency.