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Record keeping requirements for fuel retailers

The Fuel Subsidy Scheme was abolished on 1 July 2009.

The record keeping requirements for retailers differed depending on whether you were a Category 1 retailer, or a Category 2 retailer.

You were a Category 1 retailer if before 1 July 2009 you:

  • sold less than 250,000 litres of fuel per month
  • did not operate as a fuel distributor (or make bulk sales of fuel to customers)
  • did not operate, own or lease a fuel tanker or fuel trailer.

Otherwise, you were a Category 2 retailer.

Note: Both Category 1 and 2 retailers must maintain records for 5 years.

Category 1 retailer

Record keeping requirements (for purchases and sales made before 1 July 2009)
Purchase of fuel

For each purchase you must have recorded:

  • quantity and type of fuel
  • seller’s name and address
  • price paid per litre
  • place of delivery
  • date of purchase.
 Sale of fuel

You must have recorded:

  • daily summaries (i.e. total volume of each product sold by reference to individual pumps)
  • daily meter readings at the open and close of business
  • tank dips at the start and end of each month
  • particulars of all non-retailer fuel (e.g. ineligible fuel, sales/deliveries made in the month)
  • details of the price charged per litre and the basis for calculating the price.

Category 2 retailer

Record keeping requirements (for purchases and sales made before 1 July 2009)
 Purchase of fuel

For each purchase you must have recorded:

  • quantity and type of fuel
  • seller’s name and address
  • price paid per litre
  • place of delivery
  • date of purchase.
 Sale of fuel

For each sale you must have recorded:

  • quantity and type of fuel
  • price charged per litre and how it was calculated
  • place of delivery
  • date of sale
  • registration number of each recreational ship supplied (only if you are a marine retailer).

Off-road diesel

For diesel sold to a customer for a commercial off-road purpose before 1 July 2009 you must have:

  • recorded the sale
  • provided the customer with a record of sale showing the total quantity of diesel sold and the quantity of diesel sold unsubsidised
  • not claimed the subsidy for this sale.

Retail quantity

For sales of fuel that exceeded 2,000 litres per delivery in a 24-hour period, you must have provided the customer with a record of the sale, stating the total quantity of fuel sold and the quantity of fuel that exceeded the 2,000 litre limit.

Top call centre questions

When do I stop being entitled to receive the fuel subsidy?

Retail fuel sold up to and including 30 June 2009 will be eligible for the subsidy. However, you must pass on the full benefit of the subsidy to your retail customers for those sales.

Fuel sales after that date will not be subsidised. We will not pay you a provisional subsidy in June for July sales.

Does the subsidy apply to fuel on hand at midnight on 30 June 2009?

No. As this fuel will be sold after 30 June, no subsidy will be payable on the fuel.

My subsidy entitlement for May 2009 was greater than the provisional subsidy paid to me for that month. When will I receive the extra subsidy?

In the past, if your subsidy entitlement for the month was greater than the provisional subsidy paid to you for the month, this would usually be reconciled and adjusted as part of the following month’s provisional subsidy payment. For example, an underpayment for May would ordinarily have been included as part of the provisional subsidy paid on 25 June. 

The abolition of the subsidy from 1 July 2009 means that there will be no provisional subsidy payment made in June for July. We will pay the extra subsidy to you on 25 June by electronic transfer to your bank account.

What happens if my subsidy entitlement for May 2009 was less than the provisional subsidy paid to me for that month?

As there is no provisional subsidy being paid in June for July, we will issue you an invoice. The invoice will state the amount to be repaid and the date by which you must repay the subsidy.

When does my June claim have to be lodged?

The June claim is due by 14 July 2009.

How will my final June subsidy entitlement be worked out?

Your final June subsidy will be dealt with in the same way as your claim for May. When you lodge your June claim by 14 July, we will work out the actual subsidy entitlement for the month. If this is more than the provisional subsidy you received for June, we will pay you the difference by electronic transfer to your bank account by 25 July 2009. If it is less than the June provisional subsidy, we will issue you an invoice, advising when you must repay the amount.

Do I need to do anything when the subsidy ends at midnight on 30 June 2009?

You should make a record of fuel on hand and pump meter readings as at midnight on 30 June 2009 for record keeping purposes. No subsidy may be claimed for this fuel.

Do I need to lodge a return for 2008–09?

Yes. The 2008–09 return is due by 1 August 2009.

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Last reviewed 9 November 2009

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