In light of my trip to Melbourne this week as part of my Continuing Professional Education – I thought I’d revisit the concept of claiming travel expenses.
We previously discussed some requirements here, but let’s look at the nitty gritty today!
What exactly can you claim?
Below is a snippet of information from the Australian Taxation Office (ATO):
“You may be able to claim travel expenses you incurred for meals, accommodation and incidentals while away overnight for work – for example, going to an interstate work conference.
However, generally, if your travel did not involve an overnight stay, you can’t claim for meals even if you received a travel allowance.
Other travel expenses you may be able to claim include:
- the costs you actually incur (such as fuel costs) when using a borrowed car or a vehicle other than a car for work purposes
- air, bus, train, tram and taxi fares
- car-hire fees.
You may have to show that you have reduced your claim to exclude any private portion of your trip.”
Remember that claiming expenses for work related travel is different to claiming car or motor vehicle expenses – and you need to be careful not to double up in this area! If you are unsure, please discuss with your accountant!
Regards
