Claiming travel expenses

Loz10

Hi,

I'm looking into jobs in London (commuting from north hampshire) and don't want to potentially have loss of earnings due to expensive rail fares. I was wondering if its possible to reclaim any travel expenses through the government, or an employer (if they don't immediately offer this?)

Thanks

Loz

MrsE_2

Not for commuting to & from a regular place of work, only for travel undertaken in the course of the work.

lvm

Employer would have to agree to this before you started working with them. You might want to see if you could agree to work your full time hours over 4 days to save you a day's travel (depends on type of work I guess).

You wouldn't get anything from the government for travelling to your permanent place of work.

I have no idea where North Hampshire is in relation to London but would car-sharing be a possibility? Anyone in same company travelling from same area or could you have a look on websites (can't remember the names) to see if you could either drive someone to London for a small fee or vice versa?

VfM4meplse

Many employers in London add a high cost living allowance (sometimes referred to as London weighting) which in part covers the additional costs associated with living in the city, or the cost of the commute. Lots of people commute from Hampshire into town by train, which can be a lot faster than a tube journey from a shorter geographical distance - although it can be expensive, it's also often cheaper than living closer! For me the issue would be the time taken by the journey rather than the cost.

MrsE_2

An employer couldn't give this taxfree, like a refund on an expense. Tax would have to be paid on it.

anamenottaken

MrsE wrote: »

An employer couldn't give this taxfree, like a refund on an expense. Tax would have to be paid on it.

and NI too.

The London weighting (an official addition to salary) or simply higher salary is the way you are paid for your travel costs (or higher accommodation costs if living closer).

Loz10

Thanks your replies. I know that some companies are willing to pay a higher salary to compensate for the increased travel costs, guess it depends on the employer!

I currently have a very short commute and am just trying to decide if its better to get a train which like you say is potentially faster than travelling from a nearer location.

I have heard of London weighting so that may be a possiblity.

Thanks for all your input.