Travel expenses at work

big_white_dog84 · 25 Oct 2012 at 20:01

What is your employer's policy on travel expenses, specifically mileage claims? At the moment mine follows Inland Revenue guidance for business miles - which is that any mile that is not from your front door to your normal place of work is a business mile and can be claimed at 45p.
However they are just about to implement a change where we have to deduct our home-office mileage every day before making a claim, regardless of whether or not we have been anywhere near the office. The nature of my job is such that I can easily go a week without setting foot in the office, and be using the car for work all day, carrying equipment etc.

The policy change is going to cost the average employee the equivalent of a £4k pay cut, and is taking us to the brink of industrial action. I'm trying to get a bit of an impartial perspective on whether this is in line with the outside world.

Ps - I know we can use a p87 form to claim back the tax etc etc.

[TW]Fox · 25 Oct 2012 at 20:02

It sounds like the previous policy was very generous. Is it in your contract?

big_white_dog84 · 25 Oct 2012 at 20:10

The existing policy is in line with the Inland Revenue guidance. The new one isn't. The thing that bugs me the most is that these are not optional miles. I cannot do my job in the office, and the employer has made it clear that they will not tolerate any alternatives, eg I make my own way into the office and ask for transport to be provided by the company.

Edit - my contract makes no specific reference, only talks about 'in accordance with the expenses policy'

MrMoonX · 25 Oct 2012 at 20:15

big_white_dog84 said:
What is your employer's policy on travel expenses, specifically mileage claims? At the moment mine follows Inland Revenue guidance for business miles - which is that any mile that is not from your front door to your normal place of work is a business mile and can be claimed at 45p.
However they are just about to implement a change where we have to deduct our home-office mileage every day before making a claim, regardless of whether or not we have been anywhere near the office. The nature of my job is such that I can easily go a week without setting foot in the office, and be using the car for work all day, carrying equipment etc.

The policy change is going to cost the average employee the equivalent of a £4k pay cut, and is taking us to the brink of industrial action. I'm trying to get a bit of an impartial perspective on whether this is in line with the outside world.

Ps - I know we can use a p87 form to claim back the tax etc etc.

deducting your normal home to work mileage is normal in the civil service. If I went from home direct to a course, I would have to deduct the normal 17 miles I normally travelled.

It seems they are closing what was a very generous policy and you were actually making money as your employer was effectively paying for you to go to work each day you didnt go straight to the office.

Surveyor · 25 Oct 2012 at 20:19

big_white_dog84 said:
Ps - I know we can use a p87 form to claim back the tax etc etc.

I'm not sure what you think you can claim tax back on but even if you can claim you can't use a P87 form with the amount it sounds like you're claiming in expenses.

Only complete this form if your allowable expenses do not exceed £2,500. If they exceed £2,500, please request a Self Assessment tax return instead.

passey89 · 25 Oct 2012 at 20:19

we get a pool car for anything that isn't to work and home.

Pool cars have fuel cards so dnt have to pay for any petrol.

Any expenses whilst away ie. breakfast, lunch, dinner are all claimed back.

Slade2 · 25 Oct 2012 at 20:39

They are doing the exact thing where I work. It doesnt really affect me since I live around the corner from work so any miles I drive I can claim for so that would be a simple solution to move closer to work. We have quite a few people at work that are ****ed off about it as well becuase they have been milking the system really and not paying to drive themselves to work since they have been claiming that mileage a bit like yourself in this situation. You could suggest a pool car as mentioned in another thread we have 3 pool cars for use where I work but can also use our own car and claim the mileage. I wouldnt see this as a pay cut really its just the fact that you have to actually get to work even if you are not working at your normal place of work for a day or even a week you are BASED at that place for mileage and so any miles over that would have course be claimable. Also you wont be able to claim any of this back since it would be classed as normal travel to work and back costs and not miles for work.

RickyM3 · 25 Oct 2012 at 20:40

We only get business mileage for the amount of miles above my standard trip to work; unless your home is considered your normal place of work I think you've been lucky with what you have been receiving.

Rotty · 25 Oct 2012 at 20:41

Standard practice and I think companies have been told by HMRC to enforce it

If you can get them to make you home based then that could sort things, this is what we do now then again they closed my office anyway

weringo · 25 Oct 2012 at 20:41

45p/mile less travel to work, which fortunately is only 2 miles

Rotty · 25 Oct 2012 at 20:45

Oh and if you have been claiming 45p a mile for travelling to your normal place of work then you should have been paying tax on this so be careful you don't get stung there

Liquidfox · 25 Oct 2012 at 21:15

I thought that was the rules anyway? If I travel 10 miles to work normally, but one morning travel 12 miles straight from home to a site, I can only claim 2 miles on expenses.

Surveyor · 25 Oct 2012 at 21:20

Rotty said:
Oh and if you have been claiming 45p a mile for travelling to your normal place of work then you should have been paying tax on this so be careful you don't get stung there

Hopefully he isn't being paid more than 25p a mile for anything over 10,000 miles either.

Tican · 25 Oct 2012 at 21:25

At my last employer, we all got round that by saying we started the morning at base

Surveyor · 25 Oct 2012 at 21:27

Tican said:
At my last employer, we all got round that by saying we started the morning at base

Were you sacked for making fraudulent travel claims?

Matthew.M · 25 Oct 2012 at 21:29

You should have been paying tax as a benefit on any mileage claimed which was part of your normal commute to your permanent place of work.

We can only claim from the closer of our home or office to our destination, which is standard practice.

scorza · 25 Oct 2012 at 21:29

Rotty said:
Oh and if you have been claiming 45p a mile for travelling to your normal place of work then you should have been paying tax on this so be careful you don't get stung there

This was my understanding too, that you had to "net off" your normal daily mileage or it became a benefit rather than an expense and was therefore subject to taxation. Certainly it's been normal practice to net off in the 14 years of my working career.

Destination · 25 Oct 2012 at 21:33

RickyM3 said:
We only get business mileage for the amount of miles above my standard trip to work; unless your home is considered your normal place of work I think you've been lucky with what you have been receiving.

Same here.

Tican · 25 Oct 2012 at 21:35

Surveyor said:
Were you sacked for making fraudulent travel claims?

No, I took voluntary redundancy. I claimed very little in expenses, but everyone was doing this, even some of the management. They probably still are

Bes · 25 Oct 2012 at 21:39

I get to expense my commute to the office (TFL Z1-3 card) - 100% rebate = free trips to work.

Just sayin'