Travel time allowances and odometer tracking are two of the most complex — and error-prone — parts of running NDIS, Aged Care, or community care services.
From rostering workers to paying them correctly and billing participants accurately, many providers still rely on spreadsheets or manual calculations, leading to errors, revenue loss, and compliance headaches.
In short: travel time allowances are what care workers are paid for time spent travelling between clients, while odometer tracking records vehicle readings so kilometres are calculated accurately for pay and billing.
This blog explains why accurate travel time allowances and odometer tracking matter, and how VisiCase automates both — with mobile odometer recording, AI award interpretation, and payroll integration built in.
Travel Time Allowances & Odometer Tracking
Whether you’re running NDIS services, Aged Care programs, or other community care supports, managing travel time allowances and odometer tracking is one of the most complex — and error-prone — parts of operations.
From rostering workers to ensuring they are paid correctly, and billing participants accurately, many providers still rely on spreadsheets or manual calculations, which can lead to errors, revenue loss, and compliance headaches.
In short, travel time allowances are what care workers are paid for time spent travelling between clients, while odometer tracking records vehicle start and end readings so kilometres are calculated accurately for pay and billing. Getting both right protects worker pay, keeps participant billing accurate, and supports audit readiness under the NDIS Practice Standards and Aged Care Quality Standards.
In this blog, we’ll explore the common challenges across the care industry, explain why accurate travel tracking matters, and show how VisiCase’s NDIS software features make it easy — with mobile odometer recording, Travel Time Allowances & Odometer AI award interpretation, and payroll integration built in.
The Challenges with Travel Management in Care Services
Providers across NDIS, Aged Care, and community care face similar struggles:
- Unclear Travel Times: Difficult to predict travel time for rostering, leading to shift overruns.
- Unpaid or Incorrectly Paid Travel: Support workers often miss out on travel pay or are paid inconsistently.
- Lost Revenue: Providers lose money when travel time or km aren’t recorded and billed correctly.
- Manual Calculations: Staff waste time manually calculating km between participants.
- Compliance & Audit Risks: Missing or incomplete travel records can cause issues during NDIS, Aged Care, or compliance audits.
Why Accurate Travel Tracking Matters
Correct travel data is essential in disability support, aged care, and community care services because it ensures:
- Fair Pay for Workers: Support workers and care staff are compensated for travel time and distance, improving retention and morale.
- Transparent Billing: Participants and funding bodies are charged accurately and fairly, reducing disputes.
- Better Rostering: Coordinators can plan shifts more efficiently, factoring in realistic travel times.
- Audit Readiness: Detailed, time-stamped travel logs keep providers compliant with NDIS Practice Standards Travel Time Allowances & Odometer and Aged Care Quality Standards.
How VisiCase Simplifies Travel Management
VisiCase’s aged care management software is designed to make NDIS and Aged Care travel management easy, accurate, and audit-ready. Here’s how:
- Nominate Travel Time Upfront: Coordinators can plan and allocate expected travel time while rostering services.
- Record Actual Travel Times: Support workers can log travel to service, travel during service, and return travel directly from their mobile device in real time.
- Odometer Tracking: Workers simply enter odometer readings at the start and end of their trip, and VisiCase automatically calculates kilometres — no more manual maths.
- Track Travel Kilometres for Billing: Correctly record km to claim eligible travel from participants where allowed.
- Separate Personal vs. Company Car Travel: Keep accurate records for payroll, reimbursements, and tax compliance.
- Company Car Logs: Maintain complete logs for company vehicles — critical for audits and fleet management.
- Supervisor Approvals: All travel entries are reviewed and approved by Travel Time Allowances & Odometer managers to prevent errors.
Automated Travel Time Allowances with VisiCase AI
VisiCase includes an AI Award Interpretation Engine that takes the guesswork out of payroll:
- Automated Travel Allowance Calculation: Based on logged times, km, and vehicle type, allowances are calculated automatically.
- Payroll Integration: Once approved, allowances flow directly into payroll systems, ensuring workers are paid correctly and on time.
- Award Compliance: The engine applies the correct industry award (e.g., SCHADS Award, Aged Care Award) so you stay compliant with Fair Work.
- Clear, Auditable Reporting: Generate reports that separate personal vs. company car travel, total km, and travel costs — ready for internal audits Travel Time Allowances & Odometer or external compliance checks.
Benefits for NDIS, Aged Care, and Community Care Providers
- End-to-End Automation: From rostering to payroll, Travel Time Allowances & Odometer everything happens in one system.
- Fair Pay & Compliance: Ensure care workers are paid correctly under the right award.
- Transparent Participant Billing: Bill only for approved, accurate travel time and km.
- Audit-Ready Logs: Detailed odometer readings and Travel Time Allowances & Odometer time stamps make audits stress-free.
- Efficiency: Reduce admin time and eliminate manual calculations.
Final Thoughts
Whether you operate in NDIS, Aged Care, or broader community care, travel time allowances and odometer tracking are too important to leave to manual processes. With VisiCase, you can:
- Plan travel times accurately during rostering
- Record actual travel and odometer readings from mobile
- Automatically calculate travel allowances Travel Time Allowances & Odometer and km charges
- Send data straight to payroll for seamless payment
- Keep audit-ready logs for compliance and fleet management
When everything is tracked, approved, and automated, nothing gets missed — workers are paid fairly, participants are billed correctly, and providers stay compliant.
Plan it. Track it. Approve it. Pay it.
See VisiCase’s payroll integration in action — discover how VisiCase can transform your travel time allowances and odometer tracking today.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the ATO travel allowance rate per km for 2026-27?
From 1 July 2026, the ATO rate for the 2026-27 income year is 91 cents per kilometre, up from 88 cents in 2024-25 and 2025-26. If you reimburse employees at or below this rate, the payment is treated as a non-taxable allowance — anything paid above 91¢/km is considered taxable income. For NDIS support workers using their own car for client visits, Visicase can help track and log these kilometres correctly for reimbursement.
What were the ATO travel allowance rates for 2026?
Rates changed partway through the year: for the 2025-26 financial year (up to 30 June 2026), the ATO cents-per-km rate was 88 cents per kilometre. From 1 July 2026 onward (2026-27 financial year), this increased to 91 cents per kilometre. It’s important to apply the correct rate depending on when the travel occurred.
What is the ATO travel allowance rate for 2027?
As of now, the confirmed ATO cents-per-km rate applies to the 2026-27 income year at 91 cents per km. The ATO typically reviews and updates this rate annually around July, so the 2027-28 rate will be confirmed closer to 1 July 2027 — Visicase recommends checking the ATO’s official page each financial year for the latest figure.
What are the current Australian Government travel allowance rates?
The cents-per-km rate only applies to cars — vehicles carrying fewer than nine passengers with a load under one tonne — and caps at 5,000 km per car per year, for a maximum reimbursement of $4,550 at the 91c rate. Vans, utes, motorbikes and other non-car vehicles instead use the actual cost method, based on receipts and records. Separate “reasonable travel allowance” rates also apply to overnight work travel and meals, set annually by ATO determination.
What is a "reasonable" travel allowance rate under ATO rules?
A ‘reasonable’ allowance received in line with the ATO’s reasonable travel allowances schedule doesn’t need to be declared as income and can be excluded from expense substantiation requirements. These per diem rates are set out annually in a Tax Determination — TD 2026/4 sets the reasonable amounts for the 2026-27 financial year. This matters for NDIS staff and support coordinators who travel for work and receive an allowance rather than claiming per-km.
Where can I find the full ATO travel allowance table?
The ATO publishes its cents-per-km rate and reasonable travel allowance schedules (covering accommodation, meals, and incidentals by salary band) on its official Travel Allowances page and in the relevant Tax Determination (e.g. TD 2026/4) each financial year. For NDIS providers and support workers, Visicase helps apply the correct current rate automatically when processing travel-related invoices and claims.
