Tasmanian Apprentice and Trainee Travel Allowance

What Is This Payment?

Apprentices and trainees often have to travel away from their workplace to attend the formal, off-the-job part of their training. For people in regional Tasmania this can mean long drives or overnight stays, and the cost can add up over a training year.

The Apprentice and Trainee Travel Allowance reimburses some of that cost so distance is less of a barrier to completing training. The rule database tags it as a Group B benefit with eligibility_only as its result role.

It is treated as eligibility-only because the final amount depends on how far you travel and how many nights you stay — figures the product cannot calculate without your trip details. The notes set the rates: 41 cents per kilometre intrastate, accommodation at $55 per night, and an interstate airfare plus $100 per night.

How Much Can You Get?

The amount block is eligibility_only with period: none because the total depends on your mileage and nights away. The rate components from the rule notes are:

• 41 cents per kilometre for intrastate travel (45 cents per kilometre on the West Coast for return trips over 42km).
• $55 per night accommodation when the one-way trip is at least 61km.
• Interstate travel: an airfare plus $100 per night accommodation.
• You claim based on actual distance and nights, so keep records of your trips.

Eligibility Conditions

The eligibility block is an all set, so every condition must pass.

1. Tasmanian resident: state = TAS. The allowance is run by Skills Tasmania for Tasmanian apprentices and trainees.
2. Active training contract: active_training_contract = true. You must be in a current apprenticeship or traineeship contract, with a qualifying return trip over 42km to off-the-job training.

Beyond holding an active training contract and meeting the distance threshold, there is no income test — the allowance is about distance to training, not your earnings.

Because the West Coast rate, accommodation rate and interstate airfare components all have their own distance triggers, it pays to check your exact trip against the rule notes or with Skills Tasmania before you claim.

How To Apply

The application channels are email and form, handled through Skills Tasmania. No formal evidence list is set in the rule, but you will need trip records to support a mileage or accommodation claim.

• Confirm your training contract is active and that your trip meets the distance threshold.
• Record your kilometres travelled and any nights away.
• Submit your claim by email or form to Skills Tasmania, or call 6165 6055 for help.

Read the official TAS Apprentice and Trainee Travel Allowance guidance

Rule-Based Scenarios

Scenario 1: a regional apprentice driving to block training

Jack is a carpentry apprentice near Scottsdale who drives to Launceston for block training, a return trip well over 42km. He claims 41 cents per kilometre for each trip across the training period.

Scenario 2: West Coast electrician with a long return trip

Sophie is an apprentice on the West Coast whose return trip to training exceeds 42km, so her mileage is paid at the higher 45 cents per kilometre rate.

Scenario 3: an overnight stay for training

Aaron has a one-way trip of 70km to his off-the-job training, so he stays overnight and claims $55 per night accommodation on top of his mileage.

Scenario 4: interstate training

Mei is a trainee who has to attend specialised training interstate. She claims an airfare plus $100 per night accommodation for the days she is away.

Common Mistakes

• Not keeping trip records: you claim on actual distance and nights, so without records you cannot support the allowance.
• Assuming any distance qualifies: the return trip must be over 42km to off-the-job training before mileage is payable.
• Missing the West Coast rate: West Coast return trips over 42km are paid at 45 cents per kilometre, not 41 cents.
• Overlooking accommodation: if your one-way trip is at least 61km you can claim $55 per night, which is often forgotten.
• Confusing it with a student fare concession: this allowance reimburses apprentice and trainee travel to training, not general student bus fares.
• Not contacting Skills Tasmania: calling 6165 6055 is the fastest way to confirm your trip qualifies and how to claim.

Related Benefits

• TAS Fee-Free TAFE - free vocational training at TasTAFE.
• TAS Adult Education Course Concession - reduced fees on adult education courses.
• TAS Motor Tax 40% Rebate - rebate on goods vehicles for card holders.
• TAS Public Transport Concession - reduced fares for eligible Tasmanians.
• Austudy - federal income support for older students and apprentices.
• Health Care Card - federal card that unlocks many state concessions.

Frequently Asked Questions