Can you offer yourself a relocation package?

w00519772

I was reading about relocation benefits on the gov.uk website: https://www.gov.uk/expenses-and-benefits-relocation/whats-exempt.

Q1) Does a company have to offer you a relocation package or can you claim back the expenses yourself?
Q2) Are commuting costs included? For example if you commute for the first three months.
Q3) If the company does not offer a relocation package, then is it worth trying to negotiate one? After all if you don't ask then you don't get.
Q4) Is there a 50 mile + requirement for all expenses? The new position is 45 miles away.

I was offered another job in another city earlier in the year and I turned it down because of the distance (45 miles). The hiring manager recently called me to ask why I turned it down and asked if I would consider positions that came up in the future. I said I would think about applying again in the future.

I would also be interested to hear from other single people with a mortgage who have relocated in the past. Were you offered a relocation package (or did you negotiate one)? Did the relocation work out? What steps did you take e.g. Commute for the first three months, sell house/rent existing house etc.

unforeseen

1. No
2. Can be. Depends on the package the employer offers.
3. Possibly but you would need to do it before accepting the job.
4. No idea. But my personal opinion is that 45 miles doesn't warrant a relocation package. There again, I am a contractor and have done contracts 70 miles from home because the rate was good.

marlot

I negotiated a relocation package a couple of years ago - I was changing jobs, and needed to be closer to work.

I got the full £8k tax free, which made a decent contribution - though a long way from the full costs.

[Deleted User]

Back in 2005, I moved from Cardiff to London. I asked about relocation, and nothing was offered. Three months into the job, I got a nice £1000 added to my pay for relocation costs. Considering the costs were probably closer to £500 I was pretty happy. I was renting/house sharing though..

BUT - your employer doesn't have to offer you relocation money or expenses, that's purely negotiable.

w00519772

unforeseen wrote: »

1. No
2. Can be. Depends on the package the employer offers.
3. Possibly but you would need to do it before accepting the job.
4. No idea. But my personal opinion is that 45 miles doesn't warrant a relocation package. There again, I am a contractor and have done contracts 70 miles from home because the rate was good.

With regards to point one, do you mean Tha you cannot claim yourself?

unforeseen

w00519772 wrote: »

With regards to point one, do you mean Tha you cannot claim yourself?

Both. Who would you claim from if not the employer who has no obligation?

Doshwaster

w00519772 wrote: »

With regards to point one, do you mean Tha you cannot claim yourself?

Well, you can *claim* expenses on anything you want but the employer is under no obligation to pay any or all of it. Submitting unapproved expenses to a new employer isn't a very clever way of getting your working relationship off to a good start. It would look like you are trying to take the proverbial.

TELLIT01

There is nothing in employment law to give you an automatic entitlement to claim back additional expenses incurred from accepting a new job. Any relocation package is entirely between the employer and the employee.

Nicki

Doshwaster wrote: »

Well, you can *claim* expenses on anything you want but the employer is under no obligation to pay any or all of it. Submitting unapproved expenses to a new employer isn't a very clever way of getting your working relationship off to a good start. It would look like you are trying to take the proverbial.

I suspect the OP means claim relocation costs as a tax deductible cost on their tax form to reduce their tax and NI payments for that year rather than actually intending the new employer to pay them if not pre agreed.

I don't think this is possible but the easiest way to find out for sure would be to ask the inland revenue.

w00519772

Nicki wrote: »

I suspect the OP means claim relocation costs as a tax deductible cost on their tax form to reduce their tax and NI payments for that year rather than actually intending the new employer to pay them if not pre agreed.

I don't think this is possible but the easiest way to find out for sure would be to ask the inland revenue.

That is what I mean.

unforeseen

I somehow don't see that happening as there is no entitlement to it in the first place.