Claiming tax back for offshore worker

sogs

Hi

Does anybody know if you can claim tax back on travel, my husband is employed working offshore, his company pays travel allowance he is then taxed on this so is usually out of pocket! can he claim any of the tax back?

thanks

M0ney

I'm not a tax expert but from what I understand, if an employer pays for travel to and from any "normal" place of work it is classed as a benefit in kind. With your husband working offshore his fixed place of work would be Bond, Bristows, Scotia or Broomfield house depending on which platform he is going to. If he is office based and is sent on "ad-hoc" trips then the helicopter departure lounge is not his "normal" place of work and he should be able to claim back the tax on the money which is paid by his employer, I'm not 100% sure on how to do it though.

Cook_County

Has he asked his employer as he would not be the only employee to notice this?

Davide123

There are some tax reliefs for employees at temporary workplace, how long is the contract for? Where is his normal place of work?

jimmo

The best source of advice on this sort of situation is usually the employer. There is an arrangement in place between HMRC and the offshore industry but the reality is that the employer deals with such issues on a day to day basis but only a tiny proportion of HMRC front line staff will have any experience of it.
http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/manuals/eimanual/EIM67195.htm