Payment rates for travel claims

Wryly

Hi to all ..my first post here.
When you claim travel expenses for car journeys from the job centre you get paid approx 20p per mile. Atos pays about the same rate ,or less and Working Links pays even less than that.

From the latest figures I can find, DWP staff get payed 46.25p per mile,(that's for a 12-1500cc car) because that's what they have worked out it actually costs to run. Why the discrepancy?
Isn't this discrimination?

sammyjammy

They get paid that as it is business travel, on behalf of the business, the travel to the Jobcentre is for your own benefit, they are not reimbursing you for the use and running of your own car.

Wryly

Surely they are supposed to be covering the costs of the journey, including wear and tear on the vehicle?

Caz3121

as explained in the other post - if someone asks you to travel for their benefit then they will get given a payment which may
1) be less than the HMRC rate in which case the person can claim tax relief on the difference between the payment and the HMRC rate
2) be paid the HMRC rate
3) be paid more than the HMRC rate and pay additional tax as a BIK

you are not being asked to travel for the Job Centre/Atos' benefit, you are being asked to attend for YOUR benefit

An employee in scenario 1 could complete a P87 and claim tax relief between the 20p and the HMRC rate (45p?) for the business miles
You are not a DWP employee driving business miles so this does not apply

Credit-Crunched

Someone working and paying taxes does not have the luxury of being able to claim to and from their home?

So the figure you are receiving is actually 20p more than people who work for DWP commuting to work

Caz3121

Credit-Crunched wrote: »

Someone working and paying taxes does not have the luxury of being able to claim to and from their home?

So the figure you are receiving is actually 20p more than people who work for DWP commuting to work

good point...I should have included that "business miles" will not include travel too and from work :-)

Wryly

I would stress that these are additional journeys to any standard "signing on" journey that one isn't able to claim for, the rationale behind it being that it isn't allowed for in the calculation for JSA, ESA, etc.


Presumably you think that as these journeys are for 'my benefit' I shouldn't receive petrol money either. (though I'm not actually writting about myself or my claims) . There is no alternative transport available - the journeys have to be by car.
All journeys add to wear & tear, which is why the unions managed to negotiate an amount into the mileage rate for their membersl this is equally true for benefits claimants' cars. If it is admitted that they deserve their petrol money why not the other element?

Incidentally, I used to be a govt officer, and travelled a great deal on official business. The rate for car re-imbursement remained the same regardless of the no of miles travelled, unless very high mileage; it ws considered a very significant perk of the job. People would vie for the longest trips to boost their claims. So to view this from another angle, why is the mileage rate for goverment officers so high?

nannytone_2

so you think there should be additional 'perks' to claiming benefit?

at 20p a mile, and assuming 35 mpg that works out at £7 a gallon for fuel. sp ypur fuel costs are totally covered.
you could always use public transport and receive the full cost of your journey.

Wryly

nannytone:

"so you think there should be additional 'perks' to claiming benefit?"
No, I was saying that maybe staff rates are set too high.

"at 20p a mile, and assuming 35 mpg that works out at £7 a gallon for fuel. sp ypur fuel costs are totally covered.
you could always use public transport and receive the full cost of your journey."

A 25 mile journey @ 20p is £5. Public transport for the same journey (when & if it runs!) is £ 5.80:).

However the point is that there is a discrepency between the two rates.
Caz3121 does not explain why it is, he simply states how HMRC treats such payments to staff.

Do I detect a little 'benefit scroungers' attitude here:question:

The question was not whether anyone deserves these payments or not , it was why the discrepancy.

nannytone_2

they reimburse travel expenses,
if you went by bus would you expect them to cover 'wear and tear'?
business travel expenses are different.

you CHOSE to meet the conditions of your benefit claim by using your car.


it isnt an essential thing, and so you are only reimbursed for the fuel
you dont use your car because it saves the taxpayer 80p, you use your car because it is convenient for YOU.

yesterday i was called a 'benefit fundamentalist' for objecting to the reforms and today im a benefit basher!

sja75

They only pay out on the form of cheapest transport as a consequence of attendance on a non-signing on day as an example...