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Company Fuel Question

lee.cottrell
Posts: 2 Newbie
Hi All,
Quick question,i have a field based / home based position with my company. I have a company car a fuel card which i can use for company use ie visiting customers etc.. However the company is telling me that i cannot use the fuel card for commuting to the office which i do once a month - therefore i would have to fund this myself.
Is this correct? I wouldn't mind but the office is 400 miles from my house?
If i cannot use the company fuel card can i claim back from the tax man?
Any help would greatly received.
Thanks
Lee
Quick question,i have a field based / home based position with my company. I have a company car a fuel card which i can use for company use ie visiting customers etc.. However the company is telling me that i cannot use the fuel card for commuting to the office which i do once a month - therefore i would have to fund this myself.
Is this correct? I wouldn't mind but the office is 400 miles from my house?
If i cannot use the company fuel card can i claim back from the tax man?
Any help would greatly received.
Thanks
Lee
0
Comments
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Its there card so they can apply whatever rules they want to.
The taxman etc is the more important question and more complex. It will depend on whether it is considered that you are doing ordinary commuting or not. If you are then it isnt an allowable expense and if your employers paid for it (directly or reimbursed) then this would be a benefit in kind and would have to be taxed. If it isnt then you can apply for tax relief if your employers wont reimburse it.
http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/manuals/eimanual/eim32055.htm0 -
If your normal place of work in your contract is your home/remote address then travel to the head office will be business mileage rather than a personal commute to work. If your normal place of work as per your contract is the address you are travelling to then it will be classed as personal mileage for tax reasons.
As InsideInsurance says though, these rules relate to the tax situation rather than the rules your company imposes for the use of the fuel card they pay for.0 -
saintjammyswine wrote: »If your normal place of work in your contract is your home/remote address then travel to the head office will be business mileage rather than a personal commute to work. If your normal place of work as per your contract is the address you are travelling to then it will be classed as personal mileage for tax reasons.
My understanding is it is more complex than that, as tax always is.
Whilst I dont know what was stated in contracts with Kirkwood v Evans the defendant was working from home 4 days a week and going into the office 1 day. He maintained his home address was his permanent place of work but the High Court over ruled against him.
As per http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/manuals/eimanual/EIM32070.htm you can have more than one place of work based on having a regular pattern of attendance rather than just what it says in your contract (otherwise we'd all get our employers declare our home addresses as it so we could claim tax back)0 -
How regular do they check mileage.
Work out the trip and save a few back.Be happy...;)0 -
InsideInsurance wrote: »My understanding is it is more complex than that, as tax always is.
Whilst I dont know what was stated in contracts with Kirkwood v Evans the defendant was working from home 4 days a week and going into the office 1 day. He maintained his home address was his permanent place of work but the High Court over ruled against him.
As per http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/manuals/eimanual/EIM32070.htm you can have more than one place of work based on having a regular pattern of attendance rather than just what it says in your contract (otherwise we'd all get our employers declare our home addresses as it so we could claim tax back)
Thanks for that, I am in no way an expert, only advising what I was told by my company & HMRC when I worked remotely and this came up. My home address was my normal place of work in my contract so any travel (including commute to Head Office) was classed as business travel for tax purposes.0 -
Are they saying specifically that you cannot use the card, or just that commuting to head office must be considered personal mileage?
If the former, then how on earth do they expect that to work? If the car is half full when you set off - should you drain the tank then fill it up with your own fuel?
What is the arrangement with the car - is it actually a company car (ie you pay tax on it) or is it a work van (only for work use)?0 -
They are saying that the drive to the office is personal use and therefore i cannot use the company card?
Maybe a silly question but when i travel to the office i stop in Hotels for a few nights - could travelling to the Hotel be classed as business milage?
The car is a company car so yes I'm paying tax on it. The way i have to use the fuel card is when visiting a customer i have work out the mileage and the sufficient amount of fuel using the card to cover the trip.
Thanks
Lee0
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