claiming milage

meggiemay_2

Hi wonder if anyone can help me please. Not sure if this is the right place but there are other things on here about milage.
I work as a outreach worker. Its my job to go to clients houses pick them up and take them out. I claim 40p a mile from my employer. This to cover fuel and wear and tear etc I have been told that I can only claim once I have the client in the car and can not claim from my house to there's or back and this is costing me a small fortune (though if I drop one client off and go and see a new client I can claim to the new clients house). I have looked at my contract and it says place of work is Cardiff office which i go to once a week to complete paper work and have been told I can't claim milage to there either as its my place of work. This again is costing me a fortune as its a 50 mile round trip. I have spoken to my boss about this and she says that everybody has to travel to work so that's why you cant claim to clients houses.
I have looked at the government tax website for help but it makes no sense but what it does say that if the journey is for work purposes then it can be claimed for and I would not be going to the clients houses unless I was working. Can someone please clarify the rules and point me in the right direction of some legislation that I can basically show my boss and hopefully get this altered As with petrol at £1.20 at the moment it is costing me to work.
Many thanks

lolarentt

You can't claim for travel to your 'place of work' which will be Cardiff office, but you can claim other travel costs, which would include journey to client's houses - it could be argued that you are saving the cost of travel to work on the days you go elsewhere, so there is an argument for asking you to deduct an equivalent mileage to that saved by NOT going to Cardiff on those days. I know of companies who operate the latter criteria, and others who allow full claims.

TM1976

Your employer can set whatever rules they like for paying mileage expenses it's not regulated by the government. You employer should have an expenses policy to explain what you can claim for, you should ask for formal terms on what you can claim.

You can claim tax relief on business mileage mileage however if you are travelling to a temporary workplace. Based on what you say here I believe all your workplaces are temporary including your office, even though this is contractually your place of work. You should be able to claim tax relief on your 1st and last journeys and your trips to the office that the employer doesn't pay. The AMAP rate is 40p a mile but in terms of tax relief it's likely to be worth 12p a mile to you.

John_Pierpoint

:DYou need a client next door and another one in Cardiff then a third one next door on the other side:D

My wife had a similar problem when working for the County Council but at least they paid the HMRC figure. People doing her job tended to drive Fiesta diesels.

paulofessex

Are you within a union...get your rep onto it as l agree with TM1976 and feel your employer is wrong wrong wrong.

I travel to various locations around the country to undertake work, therefore my work places are not fixed locations...l claim on the round trip all which are accepted by the tax man. (l'm PAYE)

TM1976

paulofessex wrote: »

Are you within a union...get your rep onto it as l agree with TM1976 and feel your employer is wrong wrong wrong.

I travel to various locations around the country to undertake work, therefore my work places are not fixed locations...l claim on the round trip all which are accepted by the tax man. (l'm PAYE)

paulofessex - for the record I think the employer is in the right because they can pay whatever they like expense-wise, it's just a part of employment conditions like do you get a parking space or health insurance - it's not governed by law.

However the employer's rules aren't the same as the taxman's rules so the OP can get some tax relief.

BoGoF

TM1976 wrote: »

paulofessex - for the record I think the employer is in the right because they can pay whatever they like expense-wise, it's just a part of employment conditions like do you get a parking space or health insurance - it's not governed by law.

However the employer's rules aren't the same as the taxman's rules so the OP can get some tax relief.

Agreed, employers are under no obligation to reimburse anything unless your contract specifically states they do.....indeed many employers pay nothing.

kelloggs36

In my old job we could claim the cost of travel from home to a client but you had to knock off the miles you would have done had you gone to the office, so if the client was nearer to the office, you had to bear the cost.

John_Pierpoint

So you "pretend" to attend the office between each visit?
This looks like the master trying to have it both ways over the servant.
If the master instructs the servant to do something, he should be responsible for all the costs in money and time he imposes on the servant.
If you are self employed the relationship is different - you have the right to decline to do the work. (Theoretically with no hard feelings on either side).