Tax for Truckies

03/07/2026

Work Related Expenses

If you can’t prove it then don’t claim it.
An ATO AUDIT will give you friend and stress.

Join us as a client and you will be able to receive our FREE receipt keeping app which is being developed currently.
All existing clients will have access and be able to have their own log in to take pictures of their receipts.

Millions of Australians filing their 2026 tax returns face ATO scrutiny with huge firepower this year – and experts warn the agency may already know more than taxpayers expect.

24/06/2026

VICTORIA
First Home Owner Grant (FHOG)
$10,000 if you buy or build a new home valued up to $750,000 and meet eligibility requirements.
Stamp Duty Exemption or Concession
First Home Buyers
No stamp duty on homes valued up to $600,000
A concession applies for homes valued between $600,001 - $750,000

24/06/2026

Home Guarantee Scheme – 5% deposit
First home buyers can purchase with as little as a 5% deposit without paying Lenders Mortgage Insurance (LMI). Housing Australia guarantees part of the loan. The property price cap is up to $950,000.
Family Home Guarantee
If you are a single parent with at least one dependent child, you may be able to buy with as little as 2% deposit.
Help to Buy Shared Equity Scheme
The Government will contribute part of the purchase price in exchange of an equity stake thereby reducing the amount of the borrowing.

24/06/2026

First Home Super Savings Scheme (FHSSS)
You can make voluntary contributions into your superannuation and withdraw eligible amounts to help fund your first-home deposit. The tax treatment is favourable.
When money goes into super, it is taxed at 15%. You can claim the contribution as a tax deduction when it is paid into your super. However, when withdrawn there is effectively no tax on the amount and the savings if you have a taxable income of less than $135,000 annually.
MY COMMENT
The money that you contribute to Super is tax deductible which will save you 32 cents in the dollar if you earn between $45,000 and $135,000. Sure, the money gets taxed at 15% in super fund but you are better off. You cannot access your super fund until you are at least 60 years old, so it doesn’t hurt your disposable cash flow. Additionally, you can withdraw the amounts that you contributed PLUS the interest earned on those funds in super fund without any effective tax if your taxable income is between $45,000 and $135,000.
Phone me if you need help in understanding
Michael Gallagher CPA on 0408 149 250.

23/06/2026

Chalmers prohibits self-managed super funds from borrowing to purchase residential properties.

SMSFs can buy with cash only

Commercial property and factories exempted .. no change. Can still borrow in fund..
No change to existing borrowings.

Labor struck a deal with Greens

30/05/2026

TRAVELLING BETWEEN HOME AND WORK AND CARRYING BULKY TOOLS

For Australian tax purposes, travel between home and work is normally private and not deductible. However, there is an important exception for workers (including truckies and tradies) who must transport bulky tools or equipment.

You may be able to claim home-to-work travel if all of the following apply:

1. The tools or equipment are essential for your job.
2. They are bulky or cumbersome to transport.
3. There is no secure storage available at your workplace.
4. The main reason for the trip is to transport those tools, not merely to get yourself to work.

EXAMPLE where a claim may be allowed

A truck driver carries a large toolbox, chains, binders, lifting equipment, or other heavy gear that is required for the job, and the employer provides no secure place to leave it at the depot. The driver transports the equipment between home and work each day because it must be kept at home. In that situation, the home-to-work travel may be deductible.

EXAMPLE where a claim is usually NOT allowed

A truck driver keeps a few hand tools or PPE in the vehicle, but those items are not particularly bulky, or secure storage is available at the depot. The trip is primarily commuting to work, so it remains private travel and is generally not deductible.

Evidence to keep

If you’re relying on the bulky-tools exception, keep records showing:

* What tools/equipment you carry.
* Their size and weight.
* Why they are required for your job.
* Why secure storage is unavailable at work.
* A logbook or mileage records showing the trips.

30/05/2026

CLAIMING MEAL AND ACCOMODATION EXPENSES WHEN TRAVELLING AWAY FROM HOME

Note:

RECEIPTS NOT NECESSARY

You must incur the expense ie. spend the money and it is not reimbursed by employer.
You can rely rely on reasonable amounts that ATO issued a Tax Ruling on which is listed below
PROVIDED

credible oral evidence, bank records or bank statements and practical evidence about spending habits could be sufficient proof.

NOTE:
You still need credible evidence that the expenditure was genuinely incurred and work-related.

Meal

Reasonable amount

Breakfast

$31.15

Lunch

$35.55

Dinner

$61.30

Total if all 3 meals are claimed

$128.00

Commissioner of Taxation v Shaw [2026] FCA 197 was a Federal Court decision delivered by Justice Colvin on 4 March 2026 concerning work-related meal expense deductions claimed by a long-haul truck driver. The Commissioner appealed from an Administrative Review Tribunal decision that had allowed the taxpayer’s deductions. The appeal was dismissed.

Key points from the case:

* The taxpayer, Mr Shaw, claimed meal expenses while travelling for work as a truck driver.
* He relied on the ATO “reasonable amounts” determination for travel allowances and did not keep full written substantiation.
* The Court confirmed that:
* claiming at or below the ATO reasonable amount can remove the strict substantiation requirement under Division 900; but
* the taxpayer still must prove the expense was actually incurred under s 8-1 ITAA 1997.
* Importantly, the Court accepted that credible oral evidence, bank records, and practical evidence about spending habits could be sufficient proof even without itemised receipts.
* The Court rejected the Commissioner’s argument that the taxpayer effectively needed full substantiation merely because he claimed the reasonable daily amount.

The decision is significant because it clarifies the distinction between:

1. substantiation requirements; and
2. proving deductibility.

In practical terms, the case suggests:

* taxpayers using the reasonable allowance method do not automatically lose deductions just because receipts are incomplete;
* however, they still need credible evidence that the expenditure was genuinely incurred and work-related.

The judgment may influence future ATO audit practices for truck drivers and employees receiving travel allowances, particularly around meal expense evidence and reasonable allowance claims. At present, the ATO did not appeal the decision to the Full Federal Court within the ordinary appeal period, so the decision currently stands as persuasive Federal Court authority.

25/05/2026

Contact me at [email protected] if you need further explanation of thr article.

Q+A: The changes to capital gains tax have ruffled plenty of feathers. But will they apply to those on Centrelink support payments such as the age pension?

20/05/2026

With Mallee Haulage – I just made it onto their weekly engagement list by being one of their top engagers! 🎉