You can claim the cost of using a car you own when you drive:
- between separate jobs on the same day – for example, travelling from your job as a police officer to a second job as a security guard
- to and from an alternate workplace for the same employer on the same day – for example, travelling to a crime scene.
If you claim car expenses, you can use the logbook method or the cents per kilometre method. If you use the logbook method, you need to keep a valid logbook to determine the percentage of work-related use of your car along with evidence of your car expenses. If you use the cents per kilometre method, you need to be able to show how you calculated your work-related kilometres and be able to show that those kilometres were work related.
In limited circumstances you can claim the cost of trips between home and work, where you carry bulky tools or equipment for work.
You can claim a deduction for the cost of these trips if:
- the tools or equipment are essential to perform your employment duties and you don’t carry them merely as a matter of choice
- the tools or equipment are bulky – this means that because of the size and weight they are awkward to transport and can only be transported conveniently by the use of a motor vehicle
- there is no secure storage for the items at the workplace.
