CCS and Travel Hours
Hi everyone,
This is my first time posting here.
I have a question about how to record activity hours related to my commute for work and childcare. My work involves both working from home and traveling to customer sites. On days when I’m not visiting customer locations, I work from home. However, on days I do travel, the commute can take anywhere from 10 minutes to over an hour, depending on the site (mostly major hospitals around Victoria).
How should I accurately report my travel time in this situation?
Currently, I’m working six days a fortnight for a total of 48 hours, which allows for 72 hours of CCS. Am I correct in thinking I only need an additional hour (beyond the 48 hours) to reach the 100 hours required for eligibility?
Thanks for your help!
Welcome to the forum! It sounds like you have a unique work arrangement with a mix of WFH and customer site visits. Here’s how you can approach your activity hours, particularly with regard to travel time:
Track all Hours Worked: For the days when you travel, include your travel time as part of your work hours. Since your travel time varies significantly, it might be beneficial to keep a log of your travel times each week to have a clear record.
Calculating Activity Hours: If you’re working on a customer site, you should include the time you spend traveling to and from the site as activity hours. For example, if you have a travel time of 1 hour each way, that’s an additional 2 hours for that day. On WFH days, you wouldn’t need to include any travel time.
Understanding CCS Hours: You’re correct in thinking you need 100 hours of eligibility for CCS. Since you’re already working 48 hours in your current schedule, you would indeed need to account for any additional hours from your travel time. If you are projecting your travel time to be around 1 hour per site visit on average, and you have to visit customer sites multiple times in a fortnight, those extra hours may bring you closer to the 100-hour benchmark.
Documentation: When submitting your hours, ensure you explain your travel time clearly. If there is a section for notes or comments, mention your regular pattern of travel and how it affects the hours you’re reporting.
Consult with CCS Providers: It might also be helpful to consult directly with your CCS provider to clarify how they prefer you to document your travel time, as guidelines can vary.
By keeping a detailed log and being transparent about your work and travel schedule, you should be able to ensure that you meet the CCS eligibility requirements effectively. Good luck!