If your work takes you to different sites — which it does in a lot of trades, especially construction — you may be entitled to travel and fares allowances. These payments recognise that getting to a changing worksite, or moving between jobs during the day, costs you time and money. Like the tool allowance, they're a genuine award entitlement that's easy to miss, and the amounts add up fast when you're clocking up kilometres week after week.
This guide explains the different types of travel-related payments, when they apply, and how to check you're being paid what your award says. Because the rules and rates differ a lot between awards and enterprise agreements, treat this as the framework and confirm the specifics through your award or the Fair Work Ombudsman.
Why travel allowances exist
Some workers turn up to the same office every day. Tradies often don't — you might be sent to a different site each week, or moved between jobs in a single day. Travel and fares allowances exist to compensate you for the extra cost and, in some cases, the time that irregular travel involves.
The important distinction to grasp early: your normal daily commute from home to a fixed workplace usually isn't paid — that's the same as any worker. What's covered is the extra travel that comes from the nature of the job, like travelling to changing sites or being sent somewhere distant. Your award spells out exactly where the line sits.
The main types of travel payments
There are a few different payments that get lumped under "travel," and they're not the same thing:
- Fares allowance — a set daily amount to help cover the cost of getting to and from a worksite, common in construction awards.
- Travel-time payment — being paid for time spent travelling in certain circumstances, such as travel beyond your normal patterns or between jobs during the day.
- Vehicle / kilometre allowance — a per-kilometre rate when you're required to use your own car for work travel.
- Distant-work / living-away allowance — extra payments (and sometimes accommodation and meals) when a job is far enough that you can't reasonably travel daily.
- Excess-fares or excess-travel allowance — compensation when a particular site is further away than your usual arrangement.
Which of these apply, and the amounts, depend entirely on your specific award or enterprise agreement.
When travel allowances usually apply
Common situations that trigger a travel or fares entitlement:
- You're directed to a site rather than reporting to a fixed depot or workshop.
- You have to travel between multiple sites during your working day.
- You're required to use your own vehicle to carry tools or people for work.
- You're sent to a distant job that requires staying away from home.
Getting sent all over the place is normal in the trades, but it shouldn't be at your own expense if your award says otherwise. Check what your award covers so you know what to look for.
Using your own vehicle
If your employer needs you to use your own car for work — carting tools, running between sites, picking up materials — you may be entitled to a kilometre allowance to cover fuel, wear and tear. This is separate from your normal commute.
Keep a simple log: date, purpose, and kilometres travelled for work. That record is your evidence if the allowance is queried, and it may also matter at tax time. If you're driving company vehicles as well, know your responsibilities — see Looking After Company Vehicles and Equipment. And make sure your licence situation is sorted: Driver's Licence Tips for Apprentices.
How it shows on your payslip
Travel and fares allowances should each appear as their own line on your payslip, separate from your base wage — just like the tool allowance. If you're getting sent to sites all over town but there's no travel line anywhere on your pay, that's worth a question.
Learning to read the whole payslip properly makes this easy to check every pay run. See How to Read Your Payslip and the broader rundown in Allowances and Overtime Explained. To sanity-check your base rate, the Wage Calculator is a handy starting point.
Travel allowances and tax
Travel allowances can interact with tax, and it's easy to get muddled. In general, an allowance paid to you is income, while genuine work-related travel costs you incur (not your normal home-to-work commute) may be deductible. It depends on the type of allowance and your situation, so keep your records and check the ATO's guidance at ato.gov.au — or ask a registered tax agent. Our Tax Basics for First-Year Apprentices guide covers the fundamentals.
Checking and claiming what you're owed
- Step 1: Find out which award or agreement covers you and read its travel/fares provisions. Ask your employer, GTO, or check fairwork.gov.au.
- Step 2: Work out which travel situations you actually fall into (changing sites, own vehicle, distant work, and so on).
- Step 3: Keep records — sites attended, kilometres driven, and travel time.
- Step 4: Check your payslip each pay for the relevant travel or fares line.
- Step 5: If it's missing, raise it politely with payroll, pointing to the award clause and your records.
- Step 6: If it isn't resolved, escalate to your GTO, union, or the Fair Work Ombudsman.
Most missing allowances are honest payroll errors and get fixed once you point them out. If pay problems run deeper, read What to Do if You're Being Underpaid.
Key takeaways
- Travel and fares allowances compensate for the extra travel that comes with changing worksites — not your normal home-to-work commute.
- Types include fares allowance, travel-time payments, per-kilometre vehicle allowance, and distant-work/living-away payments.
- What applies and how much depend entirely on your specific award or enterprise agreement.
- If you use your own vehicle for work, keep a kilometre log — it's your evidence and may matter at tax time.
- These allowances must appear as separate lines on your payslip.
- Travel allowances can affect your tax — keep records and check the ATO or a tax agent.
- If a travel entitlement is missing, raise it with evidence, then escalate to your GTO, union or Fair Work.