using own car for work

skullboy

Hi everyone,
I work in construction as a scaffolder. My employer has no work vans so those of us with cars have to use them to drive us to the building sites. My employer was paying £50 per week to each of the drivers but now has decided that he won't be paying us for travel anymore. That means that we will have to cover the costs of fuel ourselves as well as deal with the mess carrying around tools an fellow employees creates because it inevitibily destroys the car. I may work on a site for 3 months before moving on to another one but sometimes could be at two or more in a working week. Am I entitled to any financial help at all or is there no help for me at all.
thanks for taking the time for reading.

a11waysindebt

Hi and welcome to the site.If you are using your vehicle for work purposes you need to be insured for it.

As for financial help, I believe it is no unfortunately.

Hermia

I'm in a job where you have to use your car for work as I have to drive between branches throughout the day and take boxes of stock from one branch to the other. I have never heard of anyone ever getting financial assistance. We do get a small contribution to our petrol costs. Lots of people I know have to use their cars for work and I don't know anyone who gets help. Luckily it doesn't seem any more expensive to insure my car for business purposes.

ciano125

As has been mentioned, you need business cover on your insurance, and you can claim tax back on the mileage you do for work, but not including travelling to and from your place of work.

However, if your employer doesnt have any vans, and isnt going to give you anything at all for using your own car, then why not just tell him you want something or you're not going to do it, simple as. If he doesnt agree, his workers dont get to work, his job doesnt get done and it costs him much more than giving you a bit for your efforts.

skullboy

Yes i have got my car insured for business use which only cost an extra £10 so I'm ok on that front. The thing that gets me is the only reason I started to use my own car was beacause we had been promised money to cover fuel and now that my boss has stopped giving this I'm stuck in an awkward positiion. If I don't use it then I won't get to work and am liable to be given the sack for not turning up so I don't see a way out of this mess.
Thanks for your replies.

skullboy

I am aware that you can claim tax back but don't know were I stand regarding permanent place of work.

ciano125

Tell him its been stolen then. Simple!!

john_kent

I was using my car until recently. I could claim 40p per mile which sounded ok , but with the price of petrol being 117.9 at the time , the cost of tax , insurance and servicing , it barely covered the costs.

I then qualified for a subsidised car or company car. The subsidy schem gave me £420 a month to run a car less tax. I could then claim 9p a mile. Now in my job , I occassionaly get called out at strange hours of day and night. Using this schem I would be responsible for getting to sites regardless of whether the car was available or not.

I have gone for the company car , My tac has gone up by £1300 a year , but I get insurance , tax ,servicing and all my fuel paid for. Plus , if the car breaks down , its their problem not mine.

Now a while back , whne things were really tough , I was trying to make a go of it as being self employed. My accountant did get all sorts of taz reliefs whne i gave him receipts. If you are self employed then get a good accountant.

If not , get your employer to stor all the stuff , and just turn upa t your place of work as in your contract.

AdamBrunt

ciano125 wrote: »

As has been mentioned, you need business cover on your insurance, and you can claim tax back on the mileage you do for work, but not including travelling to and from your place of work.

If all he's doing is driving to and from his place of work then he doesn't need business cover on his car insurance - commuting is covered on most car insurance "social use" policies.