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?

Forgot, if you incur expenses that are not re-imbursed, and it's mandatory, you can, in certain cases reclaim them against tax using the S198 extra-statutory concession.

Worked for my training courses for PE1/2.

Worth a try.

International airline but I'm not a flight attendant who get allowances and it's up to them how they spend it.

No official limits but we're expected to behave reasonably. A glass or two of wine with dinner at a local italian type restaurant no problem. 4 courses at the Savoy with a £100 bottle of wine would result in a conversation with my manager.

I usually stay at Premier Inns. Reasonably priced and consistent but a colleague would bizarrely stay at a 4* hotels even if the whole team was travelling as she didn't consider Premier Inns good enough.

Ours is up to £25 for dinner (and can include drinks with the meal). Not sure what lunch is as have never claimed it. Hotels have to be booked via a special team as do flights etc.

Public sector. We are encouraged to claim the overnight set rate which doesn't need receipts and is theoretically set to cover breakfast, lunch, dinner and a coffee. Travel expenses are on top of that and need receipts. Use of public transport is encouraged, but taxis are permissible when very early/late hours, a number of people sharing a taxi (especially if it's then cheaper than all on pub trans) or for personal safety reasons. (I find if you come up with a justifiable reason, they'll allow it - lugging 20kg for 1.5 miles would defo Italy be ok even in middle of the day).

My allowance for food in Brussels, where I go most often, is reasonable - covers a burger/chips/1 beer in a pub or pasta/1 glass wine in my fav Italian restaurant - but I have to pay extra myself if I want a steak dinner (basic, not fancy dining).

No alcohol allowed at all. Set rates for each meal - think it's £30 for dinner. Public transport encouraged but taxis ok.

Public sector.

£5 if away from home up to 10 hours.
£10 if over 10 hours.
£15 if over 10 hours and after 8pm.
£24 if an overnighter (in total, not plus the above)
Will not pay for alcohol.
Stingy but doable if you stick to supermarkets and cheap takeaways.

What does the expense policy say ?

Start there.

IMO, if I would have it at home, then it's reasonable to charge it to expenses. However, I would check the policy before I put in any expenses exactly because I would not want to claim for things not covered in the policy without explaining up front why I needed a deviation.

I would definitely claim for the taxi and the meal, but not the alcohol in this job. Agree though that in previous jobs alcohol would have been expected, especially if entertaining clients.

I'd ask to see a copy of the policy. Putting in claims to "see what happens" is what happened to the MPs. If you sign your claim, you're saying it's all allowable expenses.

Food, soft drink, taxi yes. Alcohol no.

I would claim all, but everywhere I've worked there is some sort of T&E policy for example how much you can spend on breakfast/ lunch/ dinner (whether you drink or eat it!😂). Taxi I would as well, as travelling with a suitcase.

My manager said a couple of drinks is fine. A bottle of champagne is not.

I disagree completely with deducting something as you’d normally have costs at home.
If you’re working away you’re away from family & friends. You’re giving significant amounts of your time, for free, to your employer. Unless you’re paying an employee for every hour they’re away, including when they’re sleeping, then they’re giving their time. The least you can do is make sure they’re fed and housed appropriately!

Our place has a policy of up to 2 alcoholic drinks with a meal. Based on a beer or small/medium glass of wine. Cocktails or jägerbombs would raise an eyebrow but if it was one cocktail and wasn’t too expensive it would get through. Likewise an occasional steak on a trip away (we travel for up to a few weeks at a time) will cause no problems but oysters every night would be kicked back. I think it’s not bad really!

I have a couple in my team who have more than their alotted 2 beers on the last night of a trip - they get round this by claiming on each expense claim - ie person A will buy and claim for 4 beers, 2 for person A and 2 for person B. But person B will also buy and claim a round, naming themselves and person A as the drinkers. So each expense claim is individually allowed but the 2 together is not to policy. I always sign it off - it’s not every night (just the last night) and a happy team is worth far more than a couple of beers. I do wonder if they think I’m silly enough never to have noticed though! 😆

If you’re working away you’re away from family & friends. You’re giving significant amounts of your time, for free, to your employer. Unless you’re paying an employee for every hour they’re away, including when they’re sleeping, then they’re giving their time. The least you can do is make sure they’re fed and housed appropriately!

I suppose it depends on your outlook - if you enjoy travelling and possibly a night to yourself in a hotel in fresh bed linen without having to wrangle a duvet, escaping from the routine of housework to read or watch TV without having anyone else's needs to worry about, the parts when you are not actually working might be pleasant.

If you hate being away from home, I can see your point.

NHS away for training, travel paid standard class, hotel nonmorw than 100 per night which includes London ( completely impossible unless you share or stay in a hostel) food nothing buy your own. Oh and if you want study leave for the essential course you may not get expenses.......

In any interview for a new job, I always have a few sensible questions ready to ask, to show how interested I am in their business. What I really want to ask about is their expenses policy.

And why I make sure I understand the policy, to ensure I make the most of what is offered while keeping within the rules.

Didn't always feel like that. In my first ever 'proper' job, I was quietly taken aside by someone in finance to be told that my expenses claims were making the others' look bad so could I please give some thought to fixing that.