It’s nowhere near Christmas yet (although a smattering of yule-infused ads have crept on to the TV), but in order to help practitioners get things right for their clients, and help them prepare for the inevitable FBT year end, the ATO has made known the fringe benefits tax issues that can benefit from a compliance check-up now and then.
The ATO says there are on-going issues that require development of further advice, specifically (with links to advice):
However there are also specific behaviours and characteristics that attract the ATO’s attention, especially in relation to certain areas of the FBT rules. These include issues involving aspects of the living-away-from-home allowance (LAFHA), car parking, employer-provided vehicles and more.
Living-away-from-home allowance (LAFHA) LAFHA is an allowance an employer pays to employees to compensate for additional expenses incurred and any disadvantages suffered because the employee’s duties of employment require them to live away from their normal residence.
The taxable value of the LAFHA benefit may be reduced by the exempt accommodation and food components of the allowance (see link below).
Common errors that the ATO says attracts its attention include:
claiming reductions for ineligible employeesfailing to obtain required declarations from employeesclaiming a reduction in the taxable value of the LAFHA benefit for exempt accommodation and food components in invalid circumstancesfailing to substantiate expenses relating to accommodation and, where required, food or drink.
Car parking valuations The ATO will focus on the validity of valuations provided in relation to car parking fringe benefits. The common errors that attract its attention include:
market valuations that are significantly less than the fees charged for parking within a one kilometre radius of the premises on which the car is parkedthe use of rates paid where the parking facility is not readily identifiable as a commercial parking stationrates charged for monthly parking on properties purchased for future development that do not have any car park infrastructureinsufficient evidence to support the rates used as the lowest fee charged for all day parking by a commercial parking station.
See the ATO’s guide for employers on car parking fringe benefits here.
Provided motor vehicles Another area of focus will be on situations where an employer-provided motor vehicle is used, or available, for private travel of employees. The ATO says this constitutes a fringe benefit and needs to be declared on the FBT return (if lodgment is required).
The ATO’s practical compliance guideline on the matter (PCG 2018/3) says there has been demonstrated inconsistency in the application of exemptions, leading to additional compliance costs, especially where private travel is relatively low.
A change has been made to the rules (see more here) that will apply from the 2019 FBT year onwards. “Private use” will be defined as any diversion in travel that “adds no more than two kilometres to the ordinary length of that trip”. Also that “for journeys undertaken for a wholly private purpose (other than travel between home and place of work), the employee does not use the vehicle to travel more than 1,000 kilometres in total, and a return journey that exceeds 200 kilometres”.
Employee contributions A red flag is also raised in situations where employee contributions that have been paid by an employee to an employer (which reduces the FBT liability of the employer) are declared on both the fringe benefits tax return (if lodgment is required) and the employer’s income tax return. This helps to ensure that the employer does not:
fail to report these contributions as income on their income tax returnincorrectly overstate employee contributions on their fringe benefits tax return to reduce the taxable value of benefits provided.
Employer rebates Another hot spot for the ATO is whether a fringe benefits tax rebate can be claimed. A taxpayer must be a rebatable employer to claim a fringe benefits tax rebate, but the ATO has found that some ineligible employers incorrectly claim this rebate.
Employers should ensure that they are eligible to receive the rebate (see more of these here).
Non-lodgment of FBT returns Of course non-lodgment of fringe benefits tax returns is of concern to the ATO. Employers that provide fringe benefits must lodge an FBT return unless the taxable value of all benefits has been reduced to nil.
Common errors that attract ATO attention include:
failure to identify fringe benefits providedincorrect calculation of benefit values or reduction amounts.
#[ATO], [employer obligations], [fbt], [fringe benefits], [tax]
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