Higher meal rates for drivers
The ATO has released a new guideline for tax deductible meal rates for truck and bus driversThe Australian Tax Office has published the 2018-19 'reasonable amounts' for employee truck driver meals. The new amounts are slightly higher than the revised figures for 2017-18.
To be able to claim a tax deduction for their meals, truck drivers must sleep away from home.
The tax deduction allowed for each meal is the amount spent and not the reasonable amount.
Reasonable amounts are separate and cannot be combined into a single daily amount or carried over from one meal to another.
Employee truck drivers who receive genuine meal allowances from their employers do not have to keep written receipts for claims up to these reasonable amounts but do need to be able to demonstrate the basis for their claims, if asked.
In July 2017, the tax office announced that employee truck drivers would only be able to claim $55.30 per day in meal allowances without detailed receipts. The ATA and other associations worked together to get the decision reversed.
The reasonable amounts for 2018-19 are:
Breakfast: $24.70
Lunch: $28.15
Dinner: $48.60
Click here to access ATO website information, including the 2017-18 rates for current tax returns.
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