To have claimed this as an expense?

I think there was a misunderstanding and offerring to call a cab did not mean the company would pay for it.

I don’t know why you didn’t just accept the taxi when they offered to pay for one for you instead of trying to save them money. You were ill enough for them to be worried about you getting home safely you saying no I’ll get the train instead probably made them think ok she’s fine to get home. They probably think you’re being really cheeky trying to charge them for your train ticket when you were offered a no cost to you way to get home.

Sounds to me like the are trying to manage you out by reacting so seriously to an expense claim. It would only be fraudulent if you misrepresented it and they had already paid it. Without knowing why you were upset at work it’s hard to comment further but I would keep a record of everything and reiterate why you claimed for the train fare instead of taking them up on a taxi,

The HMRC class an expense as something used wholly and exclusively for work. Travelling to and from work to home is not classed as a work expense. The payroll department in your company should know this.
you did not try to steal the company should just say this is not a justifiable expense.

Just tell them straight thst you have actually saved them £80 at your own inconvenience!

How petty and bureaucratic of them, turning a caring and helpful gesture into a stressful, accusatory situation.

"If"..... their behaviour stresses you out and upsets you enough that you need to go home again, make sure to take the taxi- any and everytime......

Then you're a complete idiot. You should have taken the taxi.

The taxi was on their accord, and you decided to go home normally. Why don't you say to them that you had to pay extra due to their decisions which were to send you home. Explain it to them

Its not the company per se who is doing this. It will be whichever system they use for expenses. Speak with your LM who offered the taxi home in the first place, ask if they can give you something in writing on email that you can attach to the expense and I think it will more than likely go through. One assumes the first kick-back came from the system operator but it will eventually have to go to your LM to be signed off or perhaps a delegate if they don't sign-off themselves. Systems that manage expenses have a strict crib sheet they are expected to follow and sometimes are unable to think out of the box. Often these systems are out sourced to other countries. It will be fine if you get the email authorisation and attach to the original expense.

You haven't stolen from the company, you have claimed an expense which they can accept or reject, so in my opinion its not grounds for dismissal.
They offered to pay for a taxi and you felt more comfortable getting a train, but as it was outside your prepaid ticket, you had to pay again, and the fare was a lot less than the taxi offered. Instead of claiming the taxi, you have claimed a train fare that you incurred due to a work incident. I think once this is explained the expense should be accepted.
HOWEVER if you are working for a company where such bad things happen that you need to leave early, £20 is a lot of money for you to pay in advance, and you are then accused of trying to claim a false expense, I would seriously consider if this is the right company for you.

They probably think if you didn’t need a taxi and managed your usual route home on a train then why should they be charged for your usual journey?

They offered a taxi you accepted it so then changed it, you didnt need to complicate it

You do know not every company does everything the same way right?

Pretty sure line manager approves expenses

I get that, but the policy incentivises pisstakers and penalises people like the OP, who for honest but misguided reasons thought they should try to save the company some money.

The OP should explain her reasoning to her manager, who should say, "I'll sort it out on this occasion, but in future, if you need to go home sick and I offer to put you in a taxi, take the damn taxi."

You should have just taken the taxi, it sounds like it was a one off payment for that not a general allowable expense. Get the person who offered the taxi to sign off the expense?

Going against the grain but a taxi vs train is very different. A train is you having to travel on your own via public transport. A taxi is escorting you home which for me would come under duty of care.

This is my thought. I think I'm with the company here in that they shouldn't pay.

What happened that meant it was your employers fault that you had to go home early?

I have a team I have to approve / reject expenses for and I probably approach this with ‘people will try to get away with anything’ (because they do!) and so maybe I’m being unfair - but if you turned down the cab, I think the train was on you. (Unless missing info!)

She had a train ticket for a later time, it was £20 extra to get an earlier train.

But how would you usually get home? Surely you would have to get home regardless?

Denying the OP's claim for 20 bloody quid when she was open about what it was for is petty and pathetic IMO.

The person denying the claim has probably got no idea of the background. They're just someone in the Finance team that has spotted something outside the normal procurement channels. It's quite literally their job to question it.

That’s a work approved expense. Somewhere that’s been agreed - likely as it’s outside of his usual office.

It’s not about the value, or whether you think it’s petty or not, companies don’t work like that. OP has submitted a personal expense. Now this may come through as an NFA during the investigation or disciplinary should it come to that, but that doesn’t mean it’s not the right process.

Would you normally get home on the train? If so yabu because why would you charge them for your normal transport.

We do not know that they will eventually deny the claim. It seems (although we don't have all the details) that OP submitted the expenses claim under the usual system and it has been denied, potentially because they don't currently have authorisation for it. It could be once OP has explained the situation to her manager it will all be resolved.

Yeah this. ^ Surely the company would just refuse the payment? Why is 'senior management' involved?

@Wealthabd You still haven't answered the question asked by a few posters, how do you usually get home?

Also, do you really work TWO HOURS drive away from your workplace? What's that, like 90-100 miles?