Employer refusing to pay mileage

luddieBoy

I work for a charity in England, and have done so for 4 years. It is in a rural area and all of us workers, (20 or so) have to start work at one location and then once or twice a week work from a different location for half a day and return. We do about 400 miles a year on these short journies. We get no mileage allowance at all.

It has been mentioned at team meetings but the managers do not want to discuss paying an allowance. The need to use my own car was not mentioned in the job adverts, it is not in my contract and I feel like I should do something to change this.

Can an employer require me to use my car and then not pay a mileage claim in these circumstances?

Flugelhorn

That is not really fair at all - charities should offer mileage - we certainly do though we only have volunteers and no employees.

What would they do if you had no access to a car?

luddieBoy

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81856300#Comment_81856300

For the short term they would say someone else will go today but the longer term would cause a problem as other people would no doubt not like covering my shifts there.Your second point is something I didn't mention in my original post. The charity pays volunteers to go in as part of their claim but not employees. I think I will be submitting a claim formally as this will be impossible for the employer to ignore.

MattMattMattUK

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6652389/employer-refusing-to-pay-mileage

It really depends on your contract and stated place of employment. What does it say about the location(s) you are employed to work at?

Alderbank

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6652389/employer-refusing-to-pay-mileage

Welcome to the forum.

Any mileage allowance your employer chooses to pay is contractual. They must pay whatever is stated in your contract of employment and that's it. It looks like your contract doesn't pay anything. Changing that would be a matter of negotiation between you and your fellow workers and your employer.

If you have to pay out of your own pocket you can claim tax relief for any necessary business mileage, usually at 45p per mile. You can't claim tax relief for commuting (travel to and from your usual place of work), only for the additional mileage beyond your usual commute when you travel to the different location.

luddieBoy

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81856320#Comment_81856320

This is part of an email from the manager a few years ago.

I have spoken with the people services and financial service team and they have reply with ‘As the journey is leading to a contractual place of work, we cannot approve the expense claim. Travel expense claims are when you are making a journey to a location that is not your contacted workplace.’

 So they are saying movement between one side of the location and back is covered by the location being the place of work.

sheramber

Do they consider your salary covers any cost of using your car?

MattMattMattUK

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81856346#Comment_81856346

That is slightly confusing, are you saying that this something like a large estate and the mileage involved is driving between different buildings on the same plot of land?

luddieBoy

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81856350#Comment_81856350

In effect yes, it is 3 miles return to the main place of work from the sub area. We have to start at the main area and then if sent to the second we then leave for that area.

luddieBoy

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81856347#Comment_81856347

It has never been said they do.

born_again

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81856392#Comment_81856392

Time to start walking the 3 miles. That may focus their minds when they realise the time lost while you walk.

Advise them that to use your car for this is classed as business travel & as such you are not prepared to pay the increased insurance costs for this (not much anyway)

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