Can I claim for my dinner

owey

I am a lorry driver so it costs me alot to get something to eat, and I am sure I seen on here that you could claim off the taxman in certain jobs?.
If I can, what do I need to do to get the ball rolling.

Interest-Ed

Are you self-employed Owey and do you do long distance driving.

owey

Interest-Ed wrote:

Are you self-employed Owey and do you do long distance driving.

I do long distance, but I am not self-employed.

sarahlouise210

You can receive payments that your employer pays you for meals on duty tax free as long as you can prove the amounts they provide you with are the actual costs of the meal. For example - the standard amount allowed per meal may be £2.00 but if you actually have to pay £10.00 per meal then you can receive this allowance from your employer tax free. If you employer is not providing you with any meal allowance then I would suggest you ask them to do so! It is commom practice for employers to give a tax free meal allowance to long distance lorry drivers. No tax RELIEF will be given for meals YOU have to pay for - only tax free payments if those meals are paid for by your employer.:(

owey

We don't get a meal allowance, if I was to go tramping "work away from home" I would get night out money. But were we are based "Northwest" I can get to Scotland and do my delivery and my return load in 1 nights work. I will have to have a go and see if we can get a meal allowance out of them, but I won't hold my breath.

sarahlouise210

It is really up to the employers and their good nature .. they can argue that you have to eat whether ou are at work or not! Seeing as you can do it in one night perhaps you should think about sandwiches or similar to save money! Hope your employer helps out but as you say ..dont hold your breath! I expect they would already have paid you an allowance if they were prepared to do so.

scheming_gypsy

Where we work if we're out on business and get lunch away we're not entitled to an allowance as we 'would still have to eat lunch if we were in the office'. We only get an allowance if it's a meal we wouldn't have to provide for ourselves during working hours.

skintscotsman

sarahlouise210 wrote:

Seeing as you can do it in one night perhaps you should think about sandwiches or similar to save money!

I think they may take the view that you are simply doing a normal shift albeit travelling a considerable distance. By this I mean, they may view it the same as me not being to get back to my house in my lunch hour and I am expected to fend for myself for lunch.

scheming_gypsy

haha.. beat you

owey

sarahlouise210 wrote:

It is really up to the employers and their good nature .. they can argue that you have to eat whether ou are at work or not! Seeing as you can do it in one night perhaps you should think about sandwiches or similar to save money! Hope your employer helps out but as you say ..dont hold your breath! I expect they would already have paid you an allowance if they were prepared to do so.

You want to try driving 4 & half hours in a straight line, and in the dark with some sandwiches looking at you and see how long they last , knowing you have another 6 hours before you get back. Also in this weather you want somthing hot to eat, and to get out of the cofin I drive. The sad life of a trucker . But then again, in the summer its great if you start while its still light, looking down on all the ladies .