Can Tradies Claim Meals and Travel Costs? Here’s the Full Story
Published: July 2025
As a tradie, you work hard—and sometimes far from home.
Long drives, overnight stays, pies at roadhouses... it all adds up.
But can you actually claim meals, travel, and accommodation on your tax return?
Good news: You might be able to.
Bad news: The ATO has some pretty tight rules.
Let’s break it down properly the Gotax way, no fancy tax jargon—just what you can (and can’t) claim.
Claiming Travel Costs as a Tradie
You can claim travel expenses when you:
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Travel between two different worksites for the same employer
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Travel for work-related tasks (like picking up materials)
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Have overnight stays for work (not just a long day out)
You can claim things like:
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Fuel (with a logbook or cents/km method)
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Parking fees (but not fines—sorry, speedsters)
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Tolls
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Accommodation costs (if you're genuinely staying overnight for work)
Check out how to properly claim car expenses here:
Can You Claim Meals?
Only sometimes.
Meals are only deductible if:
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You’re travelling overnight for work
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Your employer does not provide a meal allowance
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You actually pay for the meal yourself
If you're working a big day on site, but still going home that night—no meal claim.
(Yeah, we know, unfair... but that's the ATO for you.)
Example: Tradie Meal Claims
✅ Claimable:
Dave the electrician drives 300km to a remote site, stays overnight in a motel, and pays for his dinner at the local pub.
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Accommodation? Claim it.
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Dinner? Claim it.
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Breakfast the next morning? Claim it too.
❌ Not Claimable:
Jake drives to a site 80km away, works a 12-hour day, eats a servo pie, and drives home.
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No overnight stay = no meal claim.
Site Allowances vs Deductions
If your boss gives you a site allowance or meal allowance, you might need to declare that as income.
You can usually still claim actual expenses if your allowance was taxed—but check with Gotax to get it right.
Need help sorting out site allowances? Start your online tax return here:
https://www.gotax.com.au/guest-user
Accommodation Costs for Tradies
You can claim accommodation when you:
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Stay away from home overnight
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Stay somewhere for a short-term work job (not permanent relocation)
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Pay for the accommodation yourself
Hotels, motels, even Airbnbs are generally fine if it’s purely for work.
But if you permanently move to another town for work—you’re relocating, not travelling.
Relocation = no claim.
Record Keeping for Travel and Meals
Want the ATO off your back? Keep clean records like:
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Receipts for accommodation and meals
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Travel diary if you're away for 6 nights or more
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Logbook for vehicle expenses
Pro tip:
Use the Gotax Deduction Grabber App to snap your receipts as you go:
https://www.deductiongrabber.com.au
Quick Recap
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Travel between jobs? ✅
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Overnight for work? ✅
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Meal during a big day but no overnight stay? ❌
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Employer pays you a site allowance? Check if it’s taxed.
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Keep all your receipts or risk missing out!
Want to Claim Travel, Meals and More?
Gotax makes it stupidly easy to claim what you’re entitled to.
Whether it’s travel, meals, tools, or training—we help tradies like you maximise every dollar legally and easily.
Start your tax return online today here:
https://www.gotax.com.au/guest-user
Related Resources:
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How to Claim Work-Related Car Expenses:
https://www.gotax.com.au/blog/can-tradies-claim-meals-and-travel-costs
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