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FBT Essentials Series

Strategic Tax Benefits in Bite-Sized Sessions Deep dives into vehicles, entertainment, and salary packaging.

This is a 3-part online mini-workshop series running across 3 weeks in September. Each session is 2–3 hours and focuses on a specific area of Fringe Benefits Tax (FBT). Sessions can be purchased individually or as a bundled package.

What is the FBT Essentials Series?

The FBT Essentials Series is a three-part online mini-workshop program designed to help employers, advisors, and finance professionals navigate key areas of Fringe Benefits Tax. Each session is a focused 2–3 hour deep dive into a specific topic, offering practical insights and strategies to help you maximise tax enefits and stay compliant.

Whether you're looking to sharpen your understanding of motor vehicle rules, entertainment expenses, or salary packaging, this series delivers targeted knowledge in a flexible, time-efficient format.

Why Join the FBT Essentials Series? 

  • Gain practical, up-to-date insights into key FBT areas
  •  Learn from an experienced FBT specialist 
  • Attend one session or all three — your choice
  •  Maximise tax savings and reduce compliance risk
  •  100% online — join from anywhere

Workshop Dates & Topics

  • Explore the rules, exemptions, and valuation methods that apply to employer-provided vehicles and car parking benefits.

    Motor Vehicles represent the biggest FBT risk area for employers and the easiest FBT audit target  for the ATO. Car Parking is probably the most confusing of all the 13 fringe benefit categories.

    In this session you will learn everything you need to know about FBT reporting and compliance for Motor Vehicles, including Electric Vehicles, and Car Parking.

    We will cover the current areas of ATO concern including the safe harbour rules, logbook, pooled cars and claiming exemption for tool of trade and work related vehicles.

    Attendees will gain an understanding of the key areas to focus on for managing FBT on Motor Vehicles and Car Parking, including:

    1. Eligibility rules for Electric Vehicles (including Plug-In Hybrids), including special rules for second-hand EVs.
    2. Reportable Fringe Benefit requirements for motor vehicle benefits, especially EVs.
    3. FBT implications for Novated Leases, Operating Leases and Associate Leases;
    4. Current motor vehicle FBT rules as they apply to cars, pooled vehicles, utility vehicles and tool of trade vehicles – both under 1 tonne and over 1 tonne;
    5. The latest guidance on motor vehicle modifications and impact on carrying capacity
    6. Safe harbour exemption rules (PCG 2018/3).
    7. An analysis of the statutory formula method and operating cost method;
    8. An explanation of the requirements for a valid logbook;
    9. Logbooks, who’s at risk and why;
    10. Analysis of the current areas of ATO audit focus on motor vehicles;
    11. Areas of concern raised by the ATO in relation to motor vehicles;
    12. Case studies of recent ATO reviews and outcomes;
    13. Unpacking the Car Parking rules, with practical examples
    14. Analysing the different valuation methods and record keeping requirements
    15. Why many employers pay too much FBT on Car Parking
    16. Practical FBT calculations on Car Parking highlighting the different valuation methods
    17. Common errors and myths debunked.

    Who Should Attend:  This session is suited to those in practice or in-house roles, from beginners to advanced, including Tax Professionals, Accountants and Finance teams.

  • Unpack the complexities of entertainment-related expenses and learn how to distinguish between deductible and non-deductible costs.

    It’s time to separate the Sustenance from the Entertainment, and maximise the FBT exemptions - everything you need to know about FBT reporting of Entertainment and Meals

    Getting the Entertainment and Meals analysis correct, is critical for not just FBT reporting but also for determining the amount of GST claim available and the level of deductibility for Income Tax purposes.

    In this session, you will learn:

    1. Practical case studies to illustrate the record keeping requirements and the different valuation methodologies
    2. How to structure your general ledger chart of accounts
    3. Why it is necessary to separately identify and value the different categories of entertainment
    4. The Entertainment valuation options and requirements
    5. The available Entertainment and Sustenance exemptions and when to claim
    6. The importance of the distinction between an exempt benefit and an otherwise deductible benefit
    7. Food & Drink, when does it constitute Entertainment, and the distinction with meals by way of Sustenance
    8. The importance of aligning the Income Tax and GST treatment, with the FBT valuation treatment
    9. What is best practice process, the common errors and long held myths and misunderstandings

    Who should attend? This session is suited to those in practice or in-house roles, from beginners to advanced, including Tax Professionals, Accountants and Finance teams.

  • Discover how to structure effective salary packaging arrangements that benefit both your organisation and your staff.

    Salary Packaging is an important, and often untapped, remuneration strategy for Employers and their Employees to create the Win Win situation.

    However, understanding the fundamentals is important from a strategy, communication, policy, compliance, tax, accounting and risk perspective.

    In this session we will discuss the following:

    1. Developing a Salary Packaging program
    2. What benefits can be offered
    3. The importance of the FBT technical rules
    4. The practical aspects of Salary Packaging
    5. The importance of Policies whether managing Salary Packaging internally or outsourced
    6. How salary packaging works from both an employer and employee perspective
    7. How salary packaging works for different employer types
    8. How salary packaging works for a range of benefit categories
    9. Practical examples of salary packaging a range of benefits
    10. Defining employee contributions and explaining pre-tax and post-tax deductions
    11. Creating the win for employer and win for employee scenario
    12. The key mistakes or misunderstandings, and some recent war stories

    Who should attend? This session is suited to those in practice or in-house roles, from beginners to advanced, including Tax Professionals, Accountants, Payroll Professionals, HR teams, Finance teams and Salary Packaging managers and administrators.

FAQs 

  • Yes, all sessions will be recorded and made available to registered participants.

  • Absolutely. Each session is designed to stand alone, so you can attend the ones most relevant to you.

  • This series is ideal for finance teams, HR professionals, payroll managers, and advisors working with FBT obligations.

Location Date and Location

11, 18, 25 September 2025
Online


Time

11 AM to 2.30 PM AEST


calendar Cost

Unit Cost: All prices are AUD excluding GST

  • Full Price:
    • 1 Workshop only: $350
  • Bundle Discount:
    • Attend all 3 Workshops: $900

Attending as a group? Email us at eventsanz@thomsonreuters.com to enquire about group pricing.

Don't miss out - register today to guarantee your spot at this exciting event!

Workshop Facilitator

Paul Mather
FBT & Salary Packaging Specialist

Paul has over 25 years hands-on FBT, Employment Taxes & Salary Packaging experience across all industry sectors and businesses ranging from large corporates, SME’s, Not for Profits, Charities, Local State and Federal Government and Accounting Firms.

Paul works closely with Accounting firms to ensure they are proactively managing their clients FBT obligations and have a well structured “FBT Service Line” offering for clients.

In particular, Paul assists employers with:
1. Annual FBT Reporting via Outsource
2. FBT and Employment Taxes Reviews
3. Managing FBT Audits
4. Salary Packaging review, gap analysis and implementation
5. Car Parking FBT Valuation
6. Employee Expense process reviews and implementation
7. Review of Employee benefits, policies and processes
8. ATO and Revenue Office review and audits

Paul is an accomplished trainer and speaker on all areas of FBT, Employment Taxes and Salary Packaging. Paul delivers training in a practical and insightful manner.

Paul was a member of the ATO’s former FBT Stakeholder Group (from 2005 to 2024).

Paul is the founder of FBT Salary Packaging Solutions (since 2009).

Prior to setting up his own practice in 2009, Paul worked as Director of Employment Taxes at EY Sydney for 10 years