working away from home

cluemoon

I am having to live away 4 nights a week for work (too far to commute, I go home at weekends) I live on my own, so am paying for 2 homes, in effect. Work have kindly offered to assist by giving me a monthly allowance to cover not the second rent, but the add ons such as 2 Council tax's, water rates, TV licence, extra electricity etc. Payroll tell me this will all have to be taxable, which would take me over the 40% bracket and reduce the amount by quite a lot. Is this correct or is there a way round it?

ERICS_MUM

Could it be paid to you as settlement of expenses, so that it's not taken as taxable income ? I'm no expert, it's just a thought.

Good luck, I hope you can resolve in your favour.

asajj

Possible better to ask here
http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/forumdisplay.php?f=22

Ebe_Scrooge

cluemoon wrote: »

add ons such as 2 Council tax's, water rates, TV licence, extra electricity etc.

Have you bought another place to live in near work ? I'm in a similar situation to you ( live away during the week ), by far the simplest way is to look on SpareRoom.co.uk and just find somewhere cheap to stay during the week. Somewhere where all bills are included, so no issues with council tax or other bills. There are plenty of rooms / house-shares on that site.

If it's a permanent arrangement, then consider moving nearer to work - it's crazy to keep two homes on the go un-necessarily, especially if you're single.

cluemoon

My flat is during the week just for work yes, because it is too far to commute. But I rent it, I have not bought, and moving is not an option, firstly because I don't want to leave my home area and secondly because at the moment this is only a fixed term contract but will probably lead to something permanent. I looked at the rent a room option, but to be honest I am of an age when really I don't want to share bathrooms, TV etc, and neither do I want to just sit in one room. I have done it before and you have very little privacy. Someone has suggested that I could just submit each bill (only those for which I am paying twice, like Council tax, I know I can't get usual expenses tax free) and do it that way?

trencherpilot

As an ex pipeline construction worker, we used to live away for months at a time. We used to get a lodging allowance that at the time (2008) was about 280 quid a week. This was to cover rent, bills etc. A govt scheme that is tax free designed to help workers who live away from home. Might be worth your company looking into this.

cluemoon

thanks, I have looked into this but it seems to be a niche allowance for a certain group of workers - not sure why, but I don't count. Can't really find a way round it. My main gripe is that this would only cover what I am currently having to pay twice, eg things that are unfair. eg. I live alone, I pay 2 TV licences and even though I am clever enough I defy anyone to explain how I can watch 2 TV's in different counties at the same time.


Ditto council tax. Did you know you only get the 25% living alone allowance on one property? So I have to pay twice, and can only get one lot of services once - you can't be in 2 places at the same time! (not even that to be honest, problems with rubbish collection because I am not there at weekends, and everything is shut by the time I get back from work.) Weren't we told to 'get on our bikes and look for work'?

trencherpilot

Silly question I know, but I'll ask anyway.... Have you considered buying a decent sized caravan and parking it on a site? No council tax, just weekly site fees. This is what we used to do in the industry. You can usually negotiate a decent fee reduction for a long term stay. As long as you find a decent site with toilets, showers, laundry facilities. We also tended to use german caravans which are expensive but winter proof.

cluemoon

Strangely enough I have been considering this, at least for the summer months, then I thought I might try and negotiate a good deal with a local pub over the winter (when they are quiet anyway) for a weekly rent. If I got a room without breakfast, I really only need ensuite, a TV and kettle, I am sure they would be happy to do that for a cheap rate. Guaranteed income, and they don't have to clean and change the sheets every single day. Anything less than £100 per week, for 4 nights, would be cheaper than I am paying now when you add everything up.