claiming car expenses for work

Yes, you can claim car expenses for work, but only for work-related trips—commuting from home to the office doesn’t count, no matter how tragic the traffic was.

You’ve got two ATO-approved routes: the cents-per-kilometre method (simple, capped at 5,000 km per car) or the logbook method (keep a 12-week logbook and claim your business-use percentage). With a logbook you can include fuel, servicing, tyres, rego, insurance, loan interest or lease costs, and depreciation; tolls and parking are fine too, if they’re for work trips. Keep receipts and odometer readings like a hawk with a spreadsheet. If your employer reimburses you or it’s salary-packaged, no double-dipping. When in doubt, check the ATO guidance and keep your paperwork as neat as your three-point turns.