Guide
ATO Cents Per Km Rate 2026-27: 91 Cents — How to Claim It
General information, not tax advice. Always check the current rules on ato.gov.au or with a registered tax agent.
From 1 July 2026, the ATO's cents per kilometre rate for work-related car expenses rises to 91 cents per kilometre for the 2026-27 income year — a base rate of 89 cents plus a one-off 2-cent uplift for this year. It had been 88 cents for the previous two income years. The method is capped at 5,000 work kilometres per car per year, making the maximum claim $4,550.
The rates at a glance
| Income year | Rate | Maximum claim (5,000 km cap) |
|---|---|---|
| 2026-27 | 91c / km | $4,550 |
| 2025-26 | 88c / km | $4,400 |
| 2024-25 | 88c / km | $4,400 |
A worked example
You drove 3,600 work kilometres in 2026-27: 3,600 × $0.91 = $3,276 deductible — no receipts for fuel, rego or servicing needed, the rate covers all running costs.
No receipts — but you must show how you got your kilometres
The cents per kilometre method doesn't require written evidence of car costs, but the ATO does require you to be able to show how you worked out your work kilometres — a diary of work trips, or records of your travel pattern. "I reckon about 4,900 km" does not survive a review; a dated record of actual trips does.
That record probably already exists: if you use Google Maps, your Timeline has captured every drive with GPS timestamps and distances. To turn it into evidence:
- Export your Timeline from your phone (see our Timeline export guide).
- Open the file in Time-mile — processed entirely in your browser, your location history never touches a server.
- Filter to the income year (1 July – 30 June) and your work trips by date and activity type.
- Export a CSV to total your work kilometres, or a PDF report as your supporting record.
Driving more than 5,000 work km? You need the logbook method
Beyond the cap, the logbook method usually gives a bigger deduction: you claim the work-use percentage of your actual car expenses, based on a representative 12-week logbook (valid for five years). Here too, your Timeline export is the raw material — a complete, timestamped record of every trip in the logbook period.
Back your car expense claim with real GPS data
Import your Google Timeline once, export a clean, dated record in minutes.
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