Help please - rules on cars

fergusor

Ineedaname wrote: »

I think you've mixed my two paragraphs together.

If you want to continue to get a lift with your partner I don't think the OR would allow you car costs as it's your partner's car. The OR certainly wouldn't insist you use public transport when 'free' transport is available.

However, I think if you were to claim £200 per month public transport travel the OR would want to see receipts, the same as is suggested if fuel costs are high, they want proof.

Sorry but I'm getting completely confused now.

Obviously I don't want my partner to be out of pocket as we always split the bills for the car. I don't want to get to the stage where he pays for everything, not fair on him as the debt I accrued was before I met him.

I have a commute of about 70 miles per day, I don't think it's unreasonable to pay half the petrol for that journey.

As kepar has said I don't have to tell the OR I'm getting a lift into work and I can claim the cost of rail travel to cover the cost of the petrol.

What I wanted to know was would the OR expect to see the receipts every month for the trains that I get. Or as kepar says of the budget is agreed can I spend it on the train or petrol?

Thanks.

Ineedaname

If you claim an excessive amount for travel then, yes, the OR is likely to want proof.

Have a look at your SOA thread, there's adjustments which should allow for helping your partner with car costs out of other allowances, like groceries.

In other words, you claim near the allowance for groceries for the two of you, but don't actually spend that amount, this gives you a surplus within your allowances to put towards something else.

Or you could claim an amount for petrol and be up front with the OR that it's to contribute to the cost of you 'both' getting to work as without your partner giving you a lift it would cost far more on the train. That should work.

I wouldn't lie though as if you're found out it won't be pleasant.

fergusor

Ineedaname wrote: »

If you claim an excessive amount for travel then, yes, the OR is likely to want proof.

Have a look at your SOA thread, there's adjustments which should allow for helping your partner with car costs out of other allowances, like groceries.

In other words, you claim near the allowance for groceries for the two of you, but don't actually spend that amount, this gives you a surplus within your allowances to put towards something else.

Or you could claim an amount for petrol and be up front with the OR that it's to contribute to the cost of you 'both' getting to work as without your partner giving you a lift it would cost far more on the train. That should work.

I wouldn't lie though as if you're found out it won't be pleasant.

So is that grocery figure on the SOA the amount that two can claim or just one?

I would say I spend about £250 a month on food for myself and about £150 for fuel. Could I claim the £360 stated on the SOA and £150 for fuel?

Ineedaname

Can you not cross post please, it gets confusing. We'll keep this one for the car issue and the other for the overall SOA.