Dozens of former MPs have reportedly been forced to repay tens of thousands of dollars in wrongly claimed travel entitlements.

The Herald Sun newspaper says 38 MPs wrongly claimed flights for spouses and children, taxi of chauffeured car trips, rail trips or valet parking under the Gold Pass scheme.

Among those under the microscope were former ministers Peter Reith, Graham Richardson, Larry Anthony, Alan Griffiths, Ian Sinclair, Alexander Downer, Brian Howe, John Brown, Barry Jones and Dame Margaret Guilfoyle, the newspaper said.

The revelation comes as the federal government considers winding back or ending the scheme.

Mr Reith has repaid $2,841 for flights his wife Julie took to Launceston, Cairns and the Gold Coast, and $47,707 worth of phone calls made by his son and other people while he served as a minister.

Former Labor senator Margaret Reynolds repaid $8,556 for exceeding the limit of 25 free return flights a year.

Mr Sinclair repaid $3,081 for Comcar trips and a further $915 for flights to his Lord Howe Island holiday house taken by his wife Rosemary.

The scheme entitles former MPs to anything between six months and five years of free business class travel, depending on their length of service.

Their spouses can travel free as long as they travel with them.

Those MPs with at least 20 years' parliamentary service or six years as a minister qualify for a lifetime Gold Pass.

Since 2001, about 270 former MPs have taken 20,000 fights under the Gold Pass scheme, costing taxpayers $8.3 million.