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Vehicle allowance for Clients
What is the vehicle allowance?
If a worker uses their own car during a shift, Hireup applies a rate of $1.11 per kilometre.* This is calculated based on the distance driven during the shift and does not include travel to and from the shift.
* Please note that the Fair Work Commission decided to temporarily increase the minimum transport allowance payable under the SCHADS Award to alleviate the pressure of rising fuel costs on the sector. This increase will apply from 14 September 2026 until 28 February 2027, at which point the minimum transport allowance price will decrease back to $1.07 per km.
How do I pay for the vehicle allowance?
Self-managed
Hireup will send the Vehicle Allowance to you on a separate invoice alongside your regular weekly invoices.
Plan-managed
Hireup will include the Vehicle Allowance on your regular weekly invoices that are sent to your nominated plan manager. Please check with your plan manager to see whether they can pay transport invoices before booking transport shifts. If you'd prefer to manage your transport invoices, please email your request to our team at hello@hireup.com.au , and we can send them directly to you.
NDIA-managed
Hireup will claim transport through the NDIA Portal. We can only claim transport services from 1. Core Support - Social Community and Civic Participation 2. Capacity Building - Relationships or 3. Capacity Building - Social Community. If you'd prefer to manage your transport invoices, please email your request to our team at hello@hireup.com.au, and we can send them directly.
Enabling Vehicle Allowance
You can enable the vehicle allowance when making a booking, or after you've made a booking by editing your team. This will enable the vehicle allowance for all bookings with that worker. We recommend enabling the vehicle allowance for all bookings if this worker's bookings are likely to be regular.
To enable the Vehicle Allowance for all Bookings:
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From your dashboard, click the ‘edit team’ button next to 'your team'.
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Click the three dots next to the worker.
- Select vehicle allowance and change the vehicle allowance option to ‘yes’ and click ‘confirm’.
To enable the vehicle allowance when making a booking:
- Tick the box beside 'Support Worker vehicle allowance' when making a booking
Without enabling the vehicle allowance from your team, you will need to select this option for each booking that transport support is required.
Vehicle Allowance for Support Workers
Under the SCHADS industry award, a worker is entitled to claim a Vehicle Allowance. This applies only to the distance they drive during that shift. This does not include travel to and from the shift.
Workers will be paid $1.05 per kilometre.*
* Please note that the Fair Work Commission has temporarily increased the minimum transport allowance payable under the SCHADS Award to ease the pressure of rising fuel costs on the sector. This increase will apply from 14 September 2026 to 28 February 2027, after which the minimum transport allowance under the SCHADS Award will decrease back to $1.01 per km.
How do I get paid the allowance as a worker?
Hireup will pay Vehicle Allowance for Support Workers on a two-week basis with their usual pay. Your payslip will show the number of kilometres travelled and the total amount paid.
How is it recorded?
To claim the Vehicle Allowance, Support Workers must enter the total kilometres travelled during the shift. They submit their shift hours on the Hireup booking form. The Client will approve this amount.
Can I claim a Vehicle Allowance if I provided transport support during a shift (travel/kilometre expenses)?
Yes, under the SCHADS industry award, Support Workers can claim a Vehicle Allowance for using their own vehicle on a shift.
How do I use the Vehicle Allowance feature on Hireup?
The Client should enable Vehicle Allowance on the booking
- Find the shift you want to submit, and click ‘Review’ on the right of the booking
- Click ‘Review and Submit’ on the next booking screen
- Click the box ‘I need to claim vehicle allowance for this booking’
- Enter where you drove to, and the distance travelled (in kilometres)
- Click ‘Save and Submit’
The Client can then review the distance travelled when they approve the shift hours. The Hireup team will then process the Vehicle Allowance based on the Client's payment preferences. The Support Worker will receive the allowance with their next pay.
The allowance is for kilometres travelled only and does not cover tolls or parking costs during the shift. The client should cover these.
Is Vehicle Allowance Taxed?
Yes. As the vehicle allowance is over the reasonable allowance rate (as prescribed by the ATO), it forms part of your taxable income and is therefore taxable. At the end of the financial year, you may be entitled to claim a deduction on your tax return for your motor vehicle expenses. Please refer to the ATO website or your financial advisor for further details.