Most helpful replyATO Certified Response
Author: RichATO(Community Support)Community Support ATO Certified Response17 Apr 2021
Hi @seanp83
Congratulations on your promotion! You must be very pleased.
With a salary packaged car you should ask your employer how it works, i.e.
- What are the salary packaged (i.e. your payments) payments actually paying?
It's likely that your employer is leasing a car for you and they are paying for the lease from your pre-income salary.
In this way they are providing you with a fringe benefit and so they will pay FBT on the taxable amount of the benefit.
If they are doing this on say a 3 year lease plan and then you have an option to own the car through a lump sum payment then it's worth finding that out too and comparing those costs with what it would cost you to buy your own equivalent car.
To have a look at the numbers I'd suggest ask your employer which salary packaging company they use and then go online and use their salary packaging calculator to compare your take home income for different scenarios.
I hope that helps.
RichATO