Money Moral Dilemma: Should I accept rail delay refunds for train tickets my employer paid for?

Plasticman

My employer's policy states that they will only reimburse the actual cost of expenses incurred. As the "delay repay" scheme is a refund for your ticket (or part of your ticket) then I haven't incurred that cost so wouldn't expect to keep the money. As I'm likely to be travelling on company time, I won't have experienced the inconvenience - my company has. 

Obeeone

Your inconvenience, your compensation.

Tiltster1

I have come to the conclusion that I am too honest for my own good. It seems that crime does pay and honesty gets you nowhere in life nowadays and we are being lied to all of the time ....... so I say claim it and keep it.

jedav

JGB1955 said:

Emmia said:

What's the risk of your employer finding out? If they do its fraud, and probably gross misconduct so you'd be fired in short order

Are you sure about that?  Presumably the Delay Repay is compensation for the additional time for the journey.  The employer hasn't suffered that - the employee has.

It might depend on whether the questioner is paid for the time spent travelling.

UrbaneGeek

I am in a similar position. If I am travelling in my own time, or the delay spills into my time, then I keep the refund. If I travel within my working hours, it feels right that the firm should receive the repayment, but most firms don't have a way to pay back this sort of thing (my travel if booked via the company so I don't even have to submit expenses). Sometimes I don't claim for a small meal or similar to offset the repayment.

For me, I usually travel in my own time, so I keep the Delay Repay.

primrose_penguin

Why don't you have a word with your employer, or if it is a big firm the department who arranges your transport refunds and explain what occasionally happens when your train is delayed, they may tell you to keep it as it is too much hassle to arrange for you to refund them, if it is a small firm they may be grateful for the refund. Either way your conscience is clear and you will have no further need to worry, as the old saying goes 'Honesty is the best policy' and I have always found it to be so

ginamwilliams

The delay refund is to compensate the traveller for the delay they experienced - nothing to do with who paid for the ticket.  Your time is being compensated, so you get the refund, not someone else.  Your employer experienced no travel delay at all (even if the delay impacted on the employer consequently - eg if you were late to work as a result).  This is not a 'conscience' issue at all (some who work for essential industries - eg NHS - commented their conscience would not allow them to keep the compensation but that is to misunderstand the ethos behind the refund in the first place!).  Keep it with a clear conscience.

ginamwilliams

Change the scenario from an employer to your mum - if she gave you the money for the ticket and you were delayed, would she be entitled to the delay compensation?  No - focus on who was affected and why the compensation is paid to the traveller, not the ticket buyer. 

Igorthecat

Northern Rail's "delay repay" gives the option of donating the sum due to charity - in their case Samaritans.  I wonder if the app the OP uses has the same facility?  If not, why not just donate the money anyway? 

Isin2000

emmajnation said:

For the people saying to keep the money, would you declare it for tax purposes?

No ,- because compensation payments are not generally classed as taxable income by the Inland revenue.