AHVISE Travel Cost Refund Guidelines
Here at AHVISE we provide Volunteers up to $1,500 (including GST) per “ROUND TRIP” for their traveling costs.
“ROUND TRIP” means the distance from the Volunteers home travelling to the placement via the most direct obvious route to the location of the placement they are to attend, and directly back home again. The ROUND TRIP may be for one placement, or for more than one placement. In the case of more than one placement (in one ROUND TRIP) the most direct route from one placement to the next is also expected to be claimed for, to a maximum of $1,500 (including GST) for the whole ROUND TRIP.
Families are NOT responsible for any financial payment or reimbursement of any kind directly to Volunteers.
Under no circumstances should a Volunteer request or demand payment in any way shape or form (other than what was agreed prior to the placement in regard to accommodation and food) direct from a Family.
Asking for payment (of any sum) direct from a Family is strictly forbidden and may result in your travel refund from AHVISE being null and void and immediate termination from the AHVISE program. If a Volunteer has a question in regards to reimbursement they should contact our AHVISE support staff.
Families contribute to the AHVISE program in order to assist our program to continue. Travel refund claims may be held until after the relevant family/s have paid their contribution to the AHVISE program for the said placement.
If you have any queries about these Guidelines please contact our AHVISE support team via our support ticket system, our email info@ahvise.org.au or call us on (07) 3103 2070 between 12pm to 2pm (7 days a week).
Please read our Standard Terms & Conditions for Travel Refunds below.
Standard Terms & Conditions for Travel Refunds
1. WHO QUALIFIES TO CLAIM:
Any registered Volunteer with the AHVISE program who has made contact with one of our admin staff and been on an “Approved” AHVISE placement, and has submitted their signed AHVISE Agreement prior to incurring any costs they wish to claim for a refund.
2. WHO DOESN’T QUALIFY TO CLAIM:
- A Volunteer who arranged their placement without the liaison of AHVISE admin staff.
- A Volunteer who did not submit a signed AHVISE Volunteer Agreement prior to leaving for the placement.
- Any Volunteer the AHVISE admin staff believe have not complied with these Guidelines or the AHVISE Terms & Conditions.
- Separate claims for travel costs of a spouse or another person cannot be claimed.
3. HOW MUCH CAN BE CLAIMED:
A total of $1,500 (including GST) from any of the travel costs set out in clause 4 below. The total amount claimed is NOT to exceed $1,500 (including GST). If the amount does exceed $1,500, AHVISE will only refund $1,500.
4. WHAT CAN BE CLAIMED:
- “Fuel costs” (including petrol, gas or diesel) used to drive to and from the placement destination relative to a direct route for the journey, not including extra sight-seeing off the direct route journey (as determined by Google Map or another reliable direct route calculation (whichever is less).
- “Accommodation costs” to stop overnight on the way up to the destination, one stop per 10hrs travel, for one night at a time only, providing a receipt for the accommodation is provided to us.
- “Flight fares” from the closest capital city to the closest capital city of the Family who you are volunteering. Flight fare reimbursement for one person to and from the placement providing official receipts for fares are provided.
- “Public transport costs” from the Volunteer’s home to the destination of the placement providing receipts are provided for all claimed costs (“Public Transport” includes trains, boat or buses).
5. WHAT CAN NOT BE CLAIMED:
- Food or drink
- Sundry expenses
- Insurance
- Personal expenses
- Entertainment expenses
- Taxi fares
- Phone or internet fees
- Claims must be made via the Financial Hub for Volunteers here:
https://www.ahvise.org.au/financial-hub-for-volunteers/ - Any claims made by email or via Aussie Helpers direct will not be considered.
- Where a spouse or another person accompanies a Volunteer, they must pay their own travel costs (eg Airfares, public transport costs).
6. “MULTIPLE PLACEMENTS” – IN ONE ROUND TRIP:
If a Volunteer is on a ROUND TRIP, which includes more than one placement destination, this is called a “Multiple Placement Round Trip”. To claim travel costs for both placements on the one round trip, AHVISE must agree the 2nd location is within a reasonable distance from the first placement, and then the Volunteer can claim for travel from the first placement to the 2nd placement, but in total for both placements (on the one ROUND TRIP) the amount claimed cannot exceed $1,500 (including GST).
7. SPECIAL CONDITIONS:
- All financial claims must be substantiated by a copy of the official receipt/s including the:
• Registered GST tax number
• Full name and address of company selling the goods or services
• The full amount paid showing the date of purchase
• You must have the original receipt, not a copy (you keep the original)
• Uploading a copy of the receipt/s on the Financial Hub on the AHVISE website
https://www.ahvise.org.au/financial-hub-for-volunteers/ - Claims may take up to 30 days to be processed by AHVISE
- Claims may be rejected for charges AHVISE do not approve (see clause 5 above)
- A total of $1,500 per ROUND TRIP within a 3 month period to that same family, claims older than 3 months may be rejected, unless there is exceptional circumstances (eg. Illness).