UPDATED FEB 22, 2021 • 2 MIN READ
The short answer is that mileage reimbursement might be taxed as income, and it also might not be. Here we will quickly go over when your reimbursements for work-related car expenses are taxed as income and when they are not.
This depends on how your employer processes your claim.
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If your employer provides an allowance for your work-related car expenses - that is, they make a separately identified payment for your expenses including for a car - that allowance is taxed. For more on this, see the ATO’s feedback on allowances.
If your employer reimburses you only for the work-related expenses that you incurred (for example, fuel, parking, and road tolls), or if they used a standard mileage rate based on your actual business kilometres driven, this reimbursement is almost always tax-free.
If your payment summary from your employer shows that tax was withheld, then your reimbursement was taxed. If the payment summary doesn’t withhold any tax, then your reimbursement was tax-free.
One important thing to remember - if you are reimbursed for your expenses and no tax was withheld, you can’t “double-dip” and also claim them as a tax deduction. This is because you have no longer paid the initial GST for those expenses - your employer has (by reimbursing you).
On the other hand, if your reimbursement had tax withheld, you can then claim those specific expenses as a deduction at tax time.
That's it for our guide on if mileage reimbursements are taxable income in Australia. We hope we've been of assistance :)
Happy tracking!
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This material has been prepared for general informational purposes only, and should not be taken as professional advice from Driversnote. You should consider seeking independent legal, taxation, or financial advice from a professional to check how this information relates to your own circumstances. Relevant laws also change from time to time.