Housing fringe benefit overview

The term unit of accommodation includes a house, flat, mobile home, or similar accommodation that an employer leases or licenses to an employee. The accommodation is subject to FBT as a housing benefit when the unit of accommodation is the employee's usual place of residence. In other words, the employee is not living away from home. The benefit may also be provided by an associate of the employer or by a third party under an arrangement with the employer. If the employer's business is providing accommodation, the taxable value of the benefit may be reduced.

Different rules apply to determine the taxable value of a housing benefit, depending on whether the accommodation is in a remote area of the country or is located overseas, as opposed to other locations in Australia. Remote housing is exempt from FBT and has no taxable value. See the ATO website for more about remote area locations.

See the ATO website for additional details and the most up to date information: