Travel allowances

Daily training travel allowances

We may reimburse the cost of daily travel for Training Opportunities or Youth Training learners.

What is it for?

Payment can be made for learners’ actual travel costs from their home to the agreed training site. Learners must supply evidence of the actual cost of travelling to and from the training site. 

We do not pay for:

• travel costs if a learner does not spend anything on travel
• extra travel costs eg. travel from a training site to a site for workplace experience, as these are programme costs which base fees cover.

How much is paid?

Training Opportunities learners can receive a maximum payment of $14.00 per day ($70.00 per week) for travel costs.

Youth Training learners can receive a maximum payment of $15.00 per day ($75.00 per week) for travel costs.

We base travel payments on public transport rates and average costs of running a car, as provided by the Automobile Association. When no public transport is available and learners travel by car, the payment is $0.21 per kilometre.

When learners share a vehicle, we pay only the learner responsible for the vehicle.

When transport is obtained from another source, payment only occurs if the travel to the programme was the sole purpose of the journey.

When there is a course recess (holiday break), we do not pay travel costs.

How is it paid?

We base payments on details verified by the TEO at enrolment. This includes bank verification of the learner’s bank account number and account holder’s name. The TEO must ensure that one of the following bank verifications are receipted at enrolment:

• a pre-printed deposit slip
• a copy of bank statement
• bank verified account details.

We reimburse the learners directly to their own bank account or to an authorised bank account. Payment to an alternative account requires a learner’s and the account holder’s letter of authorisation.

We make payments fortnightly in arrears and they appear in the learner’s bank account on, or about, Wednesday. Payments to Credit Union accounts may take longer to appear if there is no direct credit facility.

When a payment day falls on a public holiday, the payment is delayed by one day.

In the event of travel allowance amounts being amended, any change in amounts will take effect from the next payment cycle.

Other training travel allowances

Skill Enhancement learners are ineligible for reimbursement of daily travel costs. They can be reimbursed for the cost of distance travelled to participate in training away from their normal place of residence. The basis for payment is a train or bus fare within an island or a discounted airfare between islands.

The reimbursement criteria are based on programme length, as follows:

• Less than 30 weeks
  (up to two return trips)
• More than 30 weeks
  (Up to three return trips)

To claim the cost of travel, learners must:

1. Complete the Distance Travel form (available on request from our Service Centre).
2. Attach tickets and/or receipts to the form.
3. Obtain a TEO staff member’s signature verifying that:
• the learner qualifies for the payment
• the learner’s bank account number is correct so that we can direct credit the payment (TEOs must sight a bank deposit slip).
4. Provide one of the following bank verifications:
• a copy of bank statement
• bank verified account details.