What's your work expenses policy like?

[ShadowPuppets]

Idly musing. I went on a work trip the other day and have just been sorting the receipts. I had to eat dinner solo one evening and while it was at an affordable place (Pizza Express - because I am a wuss about finding a familiar place if I'm on my own 🙈) I did have a glass of wine with it and I'm wondering whether to a) suck it up and pay the whole thing myself, b) make it clear I'm only expecting repayment of the food, or c) just send it in and see what happens. Will probably do the latter, the least they can do is reject and I can ask about option b! I have friends who work in Finance who would have probably had substantially more than 1 glass of wine and their Accounts team wouldn't bat an eyelid 😂The glass of wine was sorely needed after a full day running client workshops. I wouldn't have thought twice about having dinner with a client and having one glass of wine, just feels a bit funny because I was on my own?

I also had to get a taxi to the station because I had a 20kg suitcase full of marketing materials that I didn't fancy dragging 1.5 miles at 6am, but again who knows how that'll be viewed!

Relatively new job so not sure how these things are viewed. Marketing/Comms if that's relevant. It made me wonder, what's everyone else's policies like? My perception would be that 3rd and public sector would be crazily stingy but maybe you work for an international bank who refuses to let you take a bus for anything less than 3 miles and make your own sandwiches for dinner in a Travelodge?

I had this very conversation with my manager earlier this week - we can claim our evening meal and a couple of drinks are fine. Taxi fares are absolutely fine too, especially if you're carrying marketing materials. You wouldn't be expected to lug them around the Tube or a bus.

Absolutely no alcohol under any circumstances, no overly keen on food as people tend to eat every day, no problem about travel (they even push for your bus fare if you can't be arsed to walk a mile and you'd have normally spent more to get to work). Oh, and not a penny if it's been paid on a credit card - only debit cards or cash.

Is there seriously no policy with strict limits/rules or at least some loose guidelines?

In my experience at several employers (all big firms) an alcoholic drink with a meal was fine. Taxi to the station with luggage is fine.

Submit the claim with everything included. I highly doubt it will be questioned unless you spent insane money in Pizza Express or the taxi cost a fortune. A £7 glass of wine on an £30 bill and a <£10 taxi fare will not get a second glance.

We're pretty lucky tbh, a glass or two of wine with dinner is fine (no mixed drinks) and no limit on meals (within reason, I did once get a nasty gram for an expensive meal even though it was in our hotel and we were exhausted). Taxis are fine too. But strictly economy flights no matter how far, no first class on trains, and the travel booking system flags up hotels where there is a cheaper option and will make you take a cheaper flight. Things like room service, laundry etc are banned and strangely no chocolate can ever appear on your receipts

Reasonable just means don’t take the piss. Is what my work does. It’s subjective but also means people will more often claim within the means of what they actually need. Pizza and glass of wine falls well within that, as does taxi next day.

If they’d said you had £30 you probably would have naturally found a way to claim all of it (we all would have) so is weirdly more cost effective for business not to set a limit

Dh and I run a company and we too have a generous expenses policy for ourselves and employees. We are away from home quite frequently so encourage them to go to nice places, it’s a perk of the job.

Exactly this. Breakfast included in hotel rate if not a Greggs bacon baguette. Lunch a supermarket meal deal. Dinner I tend not to eat in hotel - usually a pub or chain restaurant. Best is if there's a wetherspoons nearby then I can get a meal and 3 or 4 drinks for the £25 allowance! Given the average mumsnetter supposedly eats a lettuce leaf and a stick of celery for dinner, I would've thought £25 would be ample.

University lecturer here.
Nothing for breakfast
Away from work less than 10 hours £0
10 - 15 hours £10
Overnight £25 in total,
No tea, coffee, or soft drinks unless with a meal
No alcohol

Mine is milage expenses and entrance fees when taking FS somewhere, oh and parking if I get a receipt. It's 40p a mile.

Exactly. Worth remembering as well, that your meals at home are not free. Obviously there's a significant cost difference between a restaurant meal and a home cooked one, but when you consider what eating away from home is actually costing, it's fair to deduct something for what you'd normally have spent, when considering the fairness of an expenses policy.

Ours is decent, no specific limit on food because it can vary so much by country but it's meant to be reasonable ie not fine dining! Alcohol is not allowed though, unless part of entertaining suppliers.

You're expected to be mindful and take public transport where appropriate, but we're usually travelling alone and most of the team are female, so early starts / late finishes are fine to take taxis or if the public transport doesn't work for your location / itinerary.

We're based near London so expected to not stay overnight but we have an agreement with one hotel for a certain number of rooms on barter, so if you do have a late event you can use that.

In my 13 years working for the company, I've never known anyone be told they've spent too much, in fact there's been a couple of occasions where people have been reminded to eat properly and not just grab a sandwich / burger!

Teacher here...I buy stuff. That's it. I buy stuff. 🤣

Me too 😁 although tbf I am never traveling for work unless it's on a course that is essential for my continuing accreditation for work and which I have self funded to the tune of £90-200 and persuaded them to let me go in work time. NHS. And I rarely claim £8 for hospital parking at another site once a week because the machine always runs out of receipts, and the expenses programme won't upload the evidence in any format. And is picked over carefully. Not a moan, love my job. DH is civil service and his allowances and benefits are decent but diminishing over time.

Public sector here. Our allowance is £25 per overnight stay.

Our expenses don't allow lunch on the basis you would buy lunch out normally

Do you not know any of your colleagues, surely asking a colleague is the best way?

I work for an international charity. I get $50 per day for food if I am away. That could include a glass of wine, depending what project I am working on- some projects involve working with children and on those ones, I can't drink at all.
Taxis are also covered within reason- so definitely in your situation.

@UndercoverCop MPs can claim up to £25 for food if away from London or constituency for parliamentary work. (It's rare they claim- last year apparently total food claims total from all MPs was less than £1000)

They cannot claim for alcohol from their expenses.

We have the same hotel caps (crown rates?) but luckily our booking system lets you book at a higher rate if nothing is available. We booked in Oxford recently and there was nothing under the rates except a really dodgy hostel type. It’s daft because it means people end up spending loads more on train fares so we can all meet up somewhere cheap (like Peterborough!)

Ours is £20 for dinner no booze. I always spend beyond that!

Relatively new job so not sure how these things are viewed

For your own job security you need to work to the letter of your employer's policy document. Expenses shouldn't be about 'opinion', you need to abide by your company policy. If you slip up as a new employee they could quite easily dismiss you as a breach of policy on something as contentious as expense claims.

And to add, every company operates to its own policy so there could be significant differences in what is classed as an allowable expense.

There is a non- negotiable across the board, in that you are not permitted to claim mileage or travel expenses to your normal place of work (HMRC reg).

Case in point re variability, as a Civil Servant, we are not permitted to stay in a hotel because it's nice, as a perk. That would be a sackable offence.

Parisj was coming on to say the same! NHS here. Only really need to be away overnight for training courses /conferences (mandatory to keep registration) which I generally pay for myself and pay my own travel, food, hotel etc. If I'm lucky I'll be allowed the time to go - if not I'll have to take a days leave or make the time up!!

Yes and despite having to move between sites at least once a day as part of my role I don't get parking at sites paid for. When my car was off the road I didn't get expenses for travel on public transport between sites - was told if I couldn't get myself there they could insist I took unpaid leave until I could. Still get mileage for car trips between sites but expect that'll go soon!!

Round pound allowances rather than reimbursement of money spent are, strictly speaking, a taxable benefit.