Flight Centre Travel Group’s Corporate Traveller and Moneywise Global caution business travellers about rushing to file taxes as the Australian Taxation Office sharpens its focus on work-related expenses for the 2024-25 tax season.
The ATO’s focus will be particularly relevant for bleisure travellers with the sector’s spend predicted to more than double to USD$731.4 billion in the 10 years to 2032, according to Allied Market Research.
In addition, Corporate Traveller’s flight bookings for FY25 revealed January led the year for bleisure travel with SMEs averaging seven nights away, up from the yearly average of five nights.
Both FCTG arms advise business travellers to hold off filing taxes until they are fully prepared to avoid the risk of being audited.
Moneywise Global General Manager John Tuohy said: “With the ATO focusing this year on work-related expenses, it’s particularly important to take that time to get it right and to understand the nuances to avoid audit triggers.”
As the bleisure travel trend takes off, thanks to a reduction in international flight costs in 2025, Global Managing Director Tom Walley said: “This tax season, business travellers should take extra care to avoid scrutiny.”
Bleisure travel tax time tips from the experts
Key tax time tips include keeping a travel and expense diary to log work expenses, deducting weekend accommodation if work trips extend from Friday to Monday and claiming legitimate client entertainment expenses.
However, bleisure travellers cannot claim day travel – transport is only tax-deductible when associated with an overnight work trip, and should avoid double-dipping – claiming out-of-pocket work expenses with both your employer and the ATO.
Tuohy added: “Taking a partner or family on these trips would incur expenses that are clearly of a private nature, such as additional accommodation, meal and entertainment expenses. Don’t be tempted to claim these on your tax.”
Find out more at corporatetraveller.com.au
