Work-related expenses for medical staff

[Deleted User]

As a result of the government's new and unpopular changes to junior doctors' working lives, I will now be expected to travel from Glasgow to Stirling and back everyday for work, despite buying a flat in Glasgow (a commute of roughly 1 hour each way).

Does anyone know if I would be entitled to claim back travel expenses, ie. petrol, as a work related expense and how I would go about doing that, as I believe certain equipment such as stethoscopes qualify for tax exemption??

Any help/comments would be great, as getting moved every year to a different town is a major pain (some people forced to relocate entirely each year).

Thanks!

dmg24

Hi Cameron,

Welcome to MSE.

If Stirling is your usual place of work, then no, you are not able to claim petrol as travel expenses, and therefore gain a tax allowance for it.

Many people have to travel over one hour to work, it is not out of the ordinary.

ohreally

Cameron, can i make an assumption that a) you're employed as a junior doctor and b) you've completed your training?

Have you been redeployed from one health board to another or did you apply for a post at your present place of work?
Have a word with medical HR dept about your situation as there are rules regarding traveling expenses (excess travel) - which could be payable for up to 4 years, although whether they are applicable to yourself is dependant on the background - i'm not experienced in the policy/contractual details for medics so my coments are more of a general nature.

As a point of interest are you aware you can calim tax allowances on your professional association fees (i'm sure you are)?

[Deleted User]

Hi Ohreally. Thanks for the reply - some useful stuff there. I am a junior doctor, and the way we get allocated jobs out of medschool (aside from the forms which is basically what most people are unhappy about), is that we apply to a certain deanery (ie. NW england or scotland etc) and we rank 1 to 5 a list of programmes. I got my third choice which means I go to stirling from glasgow in year 2. basically, i knew when i ranked my forms that i may end up in stirling, however dont know that the fact that it wasnt my first choice makes any difference to the issue of travel expenses (i strongly suspect not). i dont want to moan etc but we dont get treated/paid as well as most people think, and the old, its in your contract, line is repeatedly used to get us to cover colleagues instead of hiring locums, which is why i think we should claim stuff if we're entitled to.

On your second note - Im pretty clueless regarding tax reclaims etc - we get tax taken out of our payslip each month and thats all we have to do. I heard something about us being able to reclaim tax/vat for obviously job related stuff such as stethoscopes and i suppose various other bits and bobs (which can be expensive!), but i didnt know anything about relaiming tax on registration fees (around £300 a year to the gmc not including insurace)

Any advice on this would be great as its not always comfortbale discussing such things with postgraduate dept/managers!! thanks for your help.:T

missylou_2

Hi,

First port of call should be HMRC website. However, if you do not get a satisfactory response, firstly contact your professional boby, (as they usually have online form regarding exactly what you are entitled to claim/reclaim on their website). If this fails contact centre 1 in East Kilbribe, they are usuallly extremely helpful/informative.

dmg24

Thanks for ignoring my previous advice.

Just to clarify ...

http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/manuals/senew/SE32125.htm
http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/manuals/senew/SE32128.htm

You are not entitled to a travel allowance.

With regard to deductions for tax purposes, you need to speak to Payroll. They will deal with this on an everyday basis. Indeed, they may have already made the deductions as standard.

ohreally

Cameron, i'll send you a pm however it will likely be tomorrow at some point.