The Fair Work Commission (the Commission) has made changes to the Real Estate Award to clarify when employees are entitled to be paid for excess travel time. Excess travel time is extra time spent travelling from the employee’s home to the other location compared to their employer’s business premises.
The rules mean:
- if an employer requires their employee to start or finish work at a location that’s away from the business or office premises, employees are paid for time spent travelling that is in excess of the time they normally spend travelling to their employer’s usual place of business.
- this additional time is treated as time worked and the employee is paid ordinary rates or overtime rates where applicable
- employees who are required to use their own vehicle are also paid the applicable motor vehicle allowance.
These changes take effect from 1 March 2024.
