ATO Cents Per KM [2023 Car Allowance Guide]

Whether or not you’re a finance supervisor attempting to type out worker reimbursements, or an worker attempting to see what you will get reimbursed for after driving to that convention final weekend, our information to automobile mileage allowances in Australia ought to assist.

On this information, we’ve lined all the things from eligible automobiles to what counts as mileage, methods to document your mileage (and when you’ll want to), and extra.  

What’s mileage reimbursement?

Mileage reimbursement—like something involving the ATO—generally is a little complicated. To make issues extra sophisticated, some phrases—like “mileage reimbursement” and “automobile allowance”—are used interchangeably, though they’re not fairly the identical. 

Right here’s a fast primer in the event you’re unfamiliar: 

Mileage reimbursement refers to a set price that staff are reimbursed per kilometre for enterprise mileage. The ATO (Australian Taxation Workplace) units a regular mileage reimbursement price, which is at present $0.78. 

This mileage reimbursement price is meant to bear in mind all the prices related to driving and proudly owning a car—issues like registration, gas, insurance coverage, servicing, even depreciation. 

Automobile allowance, however, sometimes refers to a reimbursement scheme firms could use the place they provide staff a hard and fast quantity each month to cowl business-related driving bills. That is extra widespread at firms the place staff incessantly drive for enterprise, and it’s not based mostly on particular person month-to-month mileage. 

What counts as enterprise mileage

In fact, there are a selection of guidelines and {qualifications} round what counts for reimbursable enterprise mileage. 

Sometimes, the next sorts of driving will be reimbursed as enterprise mileage: 

• driving to conferences or conferences which are for enterprise however not at your typical office 
• working errands or getting provides for the enterprise
• touring out of your normal office to a secondary or alternate place of job (i.e. a second workplace or a shopper’s workplace for a enterprise assembly) 
• touring between two or extra locations of employment, for instance, in case you have multiple job
• happening buyer visits 

Commuting between your house and office sometimes does not rely as enterprise mileage besides in uncommon circumstances. 

To reimburse your staff for mileage—or to get reimbursed, if you’re an worker—there are two main strategies: the mileage reimbursement methodology (the simple approach) or the logbook methodology (the extra detailed approach). 

The right way to use the mileage reimbursement methodology

The kilometre methodology is the simplest strategy to reimburse staff for mileage or declare business-related mileage tax deductions. 

You don’t want receipts or a logbook to assert this deduction, however the ATO can ask for recorded proof of the way you calculated your corporation mileage. Because of this, it’s a good suggestion to have staff hold document of their enterprise mileage in any case, together with: 

• how far they drove (in kms) 
• the journey dates
• the journey goal / enterprise relation 

To calculate worker’s mileage reimbursements, you merely multiply the variety of kms they drove by the present reimbursement price ($0.78) to determine their reimbursement quantity. 

The right way to use the logbook methodology

The logbook methodology is extra sophisticated, however it additionally supplies extra flexibility. One caveat: the particular person claiming deductions utilizing the logbook methodology should personal the automobile they’re driving. You’ll want to make use of the logbook (or precise prices) methodology in the event you, or your staff, both: 

• function a non-standard car for enterprise functions, comparable to a van or bike, or
• drive greater than 5,000km for enterprise annually, 

Briefly, the precise prices methodology requires you to—as you’ll have guessed—document and tally the precise prices associated to the enterprise use of your car, which you’ll be able to then deduct out of your taxes. 

The logbook methodology has three steps: 

• conserving your logbook 
• conserving data and receipts of bills
• calculating your deduction

We’ll take a look at every of those steps in flip in an effort to simply perceive methods to use the logbook methodology. 

1. Protecting a logbook. 

Protecting a logbook is fairly simple, however it does require detailed document conserving. The excellent news is, it doesn’t must log each enterprise drive you make for a complete tax 12 months! As an alternative, it merely must cowl not less than 12 consecutive weeks which are “broadly consultant” of the driving you do through the 12 months. 

For instance, in case you have a number of months which are very busy with driving, and a number of other months that aren’t, your logbook ought to span each of these durations in an effort to be broadly consultant. In your logbook, you’ll want to embody: 

• the odometer studying initially and finish of every journey 
• the vacation spot of every journey
• the enterprise goal of every journey 
• complete variety of kilometres traveled throughout every interval 
• odometer readings for the beginning and finish of the logbook interval

So long as your work and driving circumstances don’t change, your logbook will proceed to be legitimate for 5 years. For those who’re reusing a logbook from a earlier 12 months for this 12 months’s tax return, you additionally want to incorporate odometer readings from the beginning and finish of the present tax 12 months, or the interval of the 12 months wherein you probably did work-related driving. 

2. Protecting data and receipts

Along with your logbook, you’ll want to hold all receipts (or hold diary data of) motorized vehicle bills. Deductible bills embody: 

• gas and oil receipts
• registration prices
• insurances 
• automobile companies and common maintenance 
• tires and basic repairs 

You also needs to hold a document of your automobile’s depreciation worth, based mostly on the acquisition worth. The ATO can ask you to supply a proof for a way you establish depreciation, so you should definitely use a regular depreciation system, and hold notes on the way you calculated it to your car. 

3. Calculating your deduction

Lastly, even with the precise prices methodology, you’ll be able to’t deduct the total quantity of each value associated to your automobile—solely that which is proportionate to your work-related journey.

This gives you the share of work-related mileage to your car use. 

Subsequent, add up the full bills for the interval you’re claiming—all the receipts and data you saved from step 2. 

Lastly, discover your work-related automobile bills by multiplying your work-related share by the full quantity of precise bills. That is the quantity you’ll be able to declare as your deduction. So, for instance, in case your logbook and the above system determines that about 60% of your general mileage is work-related, you’re eligible to assert 60% of your complete automobile bills as a deduction.  

What are the automobile allowance charges in Australia for 2023?

In Australia, enterprise mileage reimbursement charges solely apply to plain vehicles which are designed to hold lower than one tonne and fewer than 9 passengers. 

The ATO mileage reimbursement price for 2022 – 2023 is $0.78 / km. 

Sometimes, the ATO updates this reimbursement price at first of every monetary 12 months in July, so keep tuned for updates. 

Drivers who function vans, bikes or vehicles that carry extreme hundreds (larger than one tonne) may also obtain mileage reimbursements from their employer. Nonetheless, the enterprise mileage tax deductions with the ATO are totally different. As a way to deduct enterprise mileage from these automobiles, you’ll must use the precise prices (logbook) methodology as an alternative of the cents per km methodology. 

Employers can select to reimburse staff for mileage at any price, together with one decrease or larger than the set ATO price. Any quantity reimbursed per km at or below the ATO price is taken into account non-taxable revenue. For any quantity reimbursed above the present ATO price, the quantity paid out above the present price is taxable revenue. 

Is automobile allowance taxable in Australia?

The taxation of automobile allowances depends upon the method used. 

For those who’re utilizing mileage reimbursements, these reimbursements are tax-deductible for sole merchants or small companies who reimburse staff as much as 5,000km per 12 months per automobile. Whereas firms can reimburse staff for distances above 5,000km, the quantity reimbursed over 5,000km just isn’t tax-deductible utilizing the cents-per-km methodology. (It is tax-deductible in the event you use the precise value or logbook methodology.) 

Mileage reimbursements utilizing the kilometre methodology are additionally thought of tax-free for workers. 

For those who use a automobile allowance scheme, the automobile allowance is taken into account taxable revenue for each the worker and employer. Giving flat-rate automobile allowances is sort of widespread, and a optimistic profit for workers, however it’s not tax-deductible for employers. Workers, nevertheless, can nonetheless declare a tax deduction for enterprise miles pushed utilizing the cents per km methodology. 

For those who use an precise prices reimbursement methodology, reimbursing staff based mostly on a logbook of receipts for particular expenditures, your corporation can declare a tax deduction for any reimbursement you present. As well as, these reimbursements are usually not thought of taxable revenue for workers. 

Incessantly Requested Questions on mileage reimbursement

Nonetheless have extra questions? We’re right here to assist. 

What number of kms are you able to declare for reimbursement with out receipts? 

In Australia, you will be reimbursed for as much as 5,000kms with out receipts utilizing the kilometre price. Alternatively, you’ll be able to declare as much as 5,000km of enterprise mileage for tax deduction in the event you’re not reimbursed instantly out of your employer. For those who drive greater than that for enterprise annually, it is best to use the precise prices methodology to get a extra correct reimbursement. 

As an worker, ought to I declare mileage deductions on my taxes if I drive for work? 

This depends upon your employer’s reimbursement scheme. 

In case your employer reimburses you for enterprise mileage utilizing a cents-per-km methodology, you can’t declare enterprise mileage deductions in your taxes, as you’ve already been correctly reimbursed for it. 

Nonetheless, in case your employer makes use of a automobile allowance methodology that’s thought of taxable revenue for you, you can declare enterprise mileage deductions in your taxes utilizing the ATO’s cents-per-km methodology. 

As an employer, do I’ve to reimburse staff for mileage on the set ATO price? 

No, employers can set their very own per-km charges to reimburse staff which are both roughly than the usual ATO price. 

Nonetheless, any quantity per km above the usual ATO price is taken into account taxable revenue, so pay attention to taxation points which will come up at tax time. 

What car bills are tax deductible?

Automobile bills for business-related journey are tax-deductible for: 

• staff, if your employer doesn’t offer you a tax-free reimbursement scheme, or 
• employers, if you reimburse staff for car bills utilizing an precise prices methodology. 

You possibly can deduct the next car bills associated to enterprise journey: 

• gas and oil bills
• registration prices
• car insurances
• lease funds and curiosity costs
• depreciation worth
• automobile companies 
• tires and repairs 
• electrical energy costs

You can’t declare: 

• capital prices, i.e. the acquisition worth of your automobile 
• enchancment prices, i.e. tinted home windows, winter safety, and many others.
• particular person bills in the event you’re already claiming, or being reimbursed for, mileage utilizing a cents-per-km scheme

Claiming particular person bills is completed utilizing the logbook methodology (see above), and is most precious in the event you drive greater than 5,000km yearly for enterprise functions.