Cabcharge

Guidelines 

Employees  

The Cabcharge card is issued to an employee for their exclusive use and may only be used for taxi services when the employee is travelling as directed on official business (subject to the exceptions noted below).  

Employees have a choice of using a physical Cabcharge card or Digital Fastcard. Employees must not use taxi services at Commonwealth expense for private purposes. 

It is an employee’s responsibility (and hence the employee’s own cost) to transport themselves to and from work.  

This responsibility includes travel to and from accommodation and the office when travelling on official business away from the work base. Exceptions to this requirement occur where: 

Any use of the card that is outside of entitlement must be paid for personally by the employee.

An employee is responsible for familiarising themselves with the Cabcharge Conditions of Use. In particular, an employee must: 

Register for Cabcharge 

To register for Cabcharge, please complete the Travel Profile Number and Cabcharge Request form (PDF, 305.78 KB) and email your completed PDF form to forms@ipea.gov.au. 
 

Transfer between offices 

If an employee transfers to another office, they are able to continue to use their current card and all costs will automatically be attributed to their new office. 
 

More information 

Employees can refer to the Cabcharge Use for MOPS(s) Act Staff - Fact Sheet for more information about the use of Cabcharge. This fact sheet provides further details on using Cabcharge when travelling on official business. 
 

Parliamentarians 

Once a parliamentarian is declared elected, IPEA will ask the parliamentarian to advise of their preference for a Cabcharge physical card or Digital Fastcard. IPEA will process the relevant Cabcharge request immediately. 

A parliamentarian is responsible for familiarising themselves with the Cabcharge Conditions of Use. In particular, a parliamentarian must: 

Under the Parliamentary Business Resources framework (PBR framework), parliamentarians must ensure that work expenses for parliamentary business, including use of Cabcharge, are consistent with the obligations under the PBR Act:  

Cabcharge should not be used within the member's electorate if the member could reasonably use their private plated vehicle, or the allowance received in lieu of the private plated vehicle, to fund the travel. 

For more information about the PBR framework and obligations, refer to Principles-based framework. 

Cabcharge Digital Fastcard

For existing Digital Fastcard users, if you change your mobile number or renew your phone – please email forms@ipea.gov.au with details of your situation (including new mobile number if relevant). Upon receipt of your email, we’ll cancel your existing Digital Fastcard and issue you a new Digital Fastcard.  

For physical Cabcharge card users, if you wish to swap to a Digital Fastcard – please email forms@ipea.gov.au with your mobile number to request the change. We will cancel your existing physical card and email you with further instructions for downloading the Digital Fastcard to your phone.

Lost or stolen cards 

Lost or stolen cards must be immediately reported to IPEA, and in the case of stolen cards, should also be reported to the police. IPEA will cancel the card to prevent any fraudulent use and arrange for a new card to be issued.  

An employee or parliamentarian will be personally liable for any fares incurred against a lost card that has not been reported to IPEA. Where a card reported as lost or stolen is subsequently found, it must not be used and must be destroyed. 

Treat your Cabcharge card with care and respect as it is equivalent to a credit card.

Disputes

If a parliamentarian or employee wishes to dispute the fare charged after payment has been made, an email must be sent to forms@ipea.gov.au. Please include a copy of the receipt and the reason for the dispute. IPEA will then lodge a query with Cabcharge on the traveller's behalf and subsequently process any refunds, if applicable. Cabcharge will review disputes that are less than 60 days from the date of travel. Cabcharge disputes may take up to 8 weeks for processing. 

For more information, refer to: Cabcharge Conditions of Use.
 

Use of EFTPOS facility

Payment must be made using the EFTPOS facility, unless the EFTPOS facility is not available or inoperable. 

The electronic mode of payment streamlines administration, provides for more rigorous accountability and records management processes, and minimises the risk of incorrect reporting.

Copies of all receipts should be retained for validation/audit purposes.

All Cabcharge transactions appear under the ‘Transaction’ tab in PEMS and are also reported in expenditure reports.

Details should be checked carefully to ensure accuracy.
 

Manual dockets

Payment may only be made using a manual docket in circumstances where the EFTPOS facility is not available, or is inoperable. The reason for the use of a docket must be noted at the bottom of the docket.

Where it is necessary to use a docket, the employee or parliamentarian is responsible for ensuring that the relevant details (name, time, date, journey pick-up and destination, and cost) are clearly recorded on the docket. 

Destination descriptions must clearly identify the actual location of the trip. 

Whilst generic terms such as 'airport', 'home' and 'office' are acceptable as the actual location is implied/understood, broader, undefined terms such as 'suburbs' must not be used. The actual name of the suburb/destination must be recorded on the docket.

All dockets must be signed by the cardholder, as required under the Cabcharge Conditions of Use. 

IPEA will not authorise payment for dockets that do not comply with Cabcharge requirements.

Cancellation of card / cessation of employment

When an employee ceases employment or parliamentarian ceases in their role, the card must be cancelled with IPEA.

To cancel your Cabcharge, please contact forms@ipea.gov.au first, then destroy the physical card by cutting through the chip and magnetic strip on the back.