Description
You can salary package your household expenses (ie. cost of living expenses). The expenses GO Salary You can claim the cost of accommodation used for recreational purposes. Typical eligible expenses include (local or overseas):
- Hotel, motel, B&B and resort accommodation
- Airbnb, Stayz, Trivago and similar accommodation sites
- Cruises
- Holiday houses, cabin hire
- Holiday packages (incl. airfares) where a single, inclusive price is quoted
The benefit also extends to the hire of a venue for recreation/celebrations:
- Hall, venue or marquee hire (weddings, 21sts, etc.)
- Reception venue hire (not cars, photography, music, etc.)
Exclusions
The benefit is limited to accommodation and hire of a venue. Exclusions:
- Travel (airfares, car hire, train etc.) and tour costs
- Incidental costs (eg. mini bar, movie hire, dry cleaning)
- Amusement hire (eg. indoor play centres)
- Purchase of timeshare, holiday homes, memberships
- Annual fee for permanent caravan or site hire
- Costs related to persons not from your immediate family
Limit
$2,650 (including ‘meal entertainment’ claims).
Add to My Salary Package
You can claim a full reimbursement of your holiday accommodation costs over a set number of pays (up to the limit of $2,650). For example, you could claim $1,200 over 6 pays = $200 a pay. You will need to provide proof of expenses (POE) at the time of the claim (otherwise your claim will be disallowed). Also, ensure your salary is sufficient to cover the claim amount, otherwise the claim will fail. The end of the year is 31 March, so also allow sufficient pays for your claim to be fully reimbursed. To add a holiday accommodation claim:
- Go to the My Salary Package page; and
- Select ‘Add Accomm./ Meals Receipts‘ and follow the simple instructions.
Substantiation
Tax invoice from the hotel, motel, travel agent etc. Overseas costs may be claimed, but you must show an $A value (from your credit card).
What Happens with my Pay?
The amount claimed will be deducted from your pay pre tax, in addition to any other benefits. The amount deducted is then reimbursed into your nominated bank account as a single deposit with your other salary packaging deductions.
For example, if your per pay claim is $2,000 over 4 pays, $500 is deducted from your salary pre tax and paid into your bank account each pay. At the end of this period, the additional deduction will cease.
Reporting
Yes, the benefit is reported on your Payment Summary. The value reported is the ‘grossed-up’ value, being a maximum of $2,650 x 1.8868 = $5,000.
Questions?
Please contact us and we’ll be happy to help!