To think that employers should pay all out of pocket expenses for business trips?

[cantaffordtogotowork]

AIBU to think that if you incur additional expenses for traveling overnight / significantly outside of normal business hours, your employer should pay these costs?

Specifically,

• Overnight child care - if you're working normal hours you'd just pay for after school care, but for business trips overnight care is hard to find and expensive if you're a single parent with limited support
• Pet care - if you're working normal hours you'd feed your own pets, walk your own dog etc. I have a very obliging friend who often does this for me (reciprocal arrangement), but if they're unavailable when I'm on a business trip it costs me £40 per night (approx 40% of my take home daily pay) purely because I'm on a business trip (London prices, unavoidably so)

Obviously meals, train fares etc are covered. I can even get a glass of wine FFS. I can't help but feel that the expenses system is designed with the assumption that it's a man traveling while his wife dutifully stays at home.

AIBU to think that you should be able to expense such costs that are incurred purely because you're going the extra mile for your employer?

In a previous job, I sometimes had to change my days. Whilst I made it clear that I had to not only pay for additional childcare but also check there was space (few of the people senior to me had children & those that did all had SAHW), I never suggested that they reimburse me as I saw it as part & parcel of having children & being an employee. Sometimes I would have to take emergency leave obviously at short notice as I had young children and work lost out and my family won; at other times, I had to incur additional costs so I lost out and work won.

@Skiiltan I include the bank fees in my expense claim and attach a copy of bank statement as proof and get reimbursed. Might be worth a try?

worrid

The rules aren't set by companies though. They are set by HMRC

And HMRC say that providing lunch at an employee's usual place of work is a benefit that needs to be taxed.
As is paying for their commute to their usual place of work

But paying for lunch when travelling is ok, as is paying for travel for work trips.

Depends on the travel really and whether you already commute in. London commuters based outside of the city often have more scope to travel - sometimes their 3 hour daily commutes can just as easily be made from anywhere in the UK or Europe.

My job involves travel and overnight stays and it was made clear when I interviewed that these were requirements of the role. I wanted the job and accepted that as a family we would need to adjust things on days that I was away.

I am able to claim for anything incurred wholly as a result of my need to travel but there are limitations e.g. no first class travel, no alcohol (even when a beer is cheaper than a fruit juice!).

I decided not to get a dog because I took the view that it would be unfair on the dog to be left on its own when I was out in the day. I can't see any reason why the same principle should not apply if you have to be away overnight: either you don't have a pet, or you suck up the costs of overnight care. There's no reason why your employer should pay a totally avoidable expense like this.

We pay a Per Diem, Dh (same industry) is similar so while accomodation, travel etc is prepaid a 'top up' amount dependent on location is paid for out of pocket expenses that are not receipted. Tbh it wouldn't cover childcare as but its good for everything else about 50GPB per day.

They should have specified in the job advert that travel was part of the job.

"fore example everyone needs to eat so why should the employer pay for food / drink expenses the employee would need to eat and drink anyway why can they not make a pack lunch pack their own for / pay for food out of their own pocket like at lunch break during normal hours etc"

If you're away for work you can't make a packed lunch can you?
The options available to you while working away might be more restricted than at home.

Skiiltan my employer has a separate line area to claim currency charges, check if yours does too. I've never had to use it but ourclaim forms are complicated and I guess it would be easy to miss the note about currency fees on the back page.

My employer is averagely generous with this sort of thing so I'd be surprised if you can claim them back?!

This would mean employers would avoid employing single parents who are overwhelmingly women.

YABVU to expect childcare and petcare if its this much of an issue for you if suggest getting another job without business trips.

I think pet care is a bit much, but childcare probably, especially if your employer has agreed to working hours that reduce the need for this.

Much better to reduce the need for overnight stays and long travel if at all possible, so as to reduce working time. I often wonder if many business trips are either an excuse for jollies or 'essential' only to conference companies.

I'm a teacher...single...my job does not, as part of it, ordinarily require 'overnight meetings' and such, however, last year I was asked to go on a 'residential trip' with a class for a week. I have two small children, a cat and two dogs!! No DP/DH or family nearby to look after either of these small humans/mammals! Childcare for a week would have necessitated me driving 400 miles round on the Saturday before to drop them at grandmas and the same again the following weekend to collect and a kennel bill of £360 for three animals as I'd have to drop them Sunday and pick them up the following Saturday! With petrol costs and kennel fees I'd be CONSIDERABLY out of pocket! None of these would be refunded...I'm not sure how this is fair or reasonable.

Additional childcare is permitted on expenses in the public sector. But you did have to show why it is necessary and have it fully receipted. Permitting it was a necessary consequence of a policy of appointing people and assigning duties irrespective of fecundity.

I've never heard of petcare being covered.

Civil service (senior role) and single parent here. If I am required to go away overnight I am entitled to claim childcare expenses (there is a specific form) but it is taxed and paid through my salary. And I am a higher rate tax payer so I lose almost half of it. But this better than nothing I guess

Mileage etc is paid at 45p a mile. This is the highest amount available to claim which is non taxable so is the standard business rate.

We have a set allowance for overnight expenses in the uk. That’s a £25 flat rate and isn’t taxed.

I wouldn’t claim for kennels and don’t imagine that it would be entertained. I think a dog is a very different category to a child in employment law terms!

Most jobs above s certain grade are ‘mobile’ that is to say that the employer can required them to work from time to time away from their usual location.

Laughing at expecting child and pet care. That's your own personal problem.

I travel a lot for work and never even thought of childcare / pets being relevant expenses. Hotels, food and transport are vital and unavoidable parts of the trip that can be applied to all employees.

Children and pets are lifestyle choices you weigh up when accepting a job. Where does it end otherwise? You might have to care for an elderly relative. By travelling I can’t make use of my overpriced gym membership so should that be reimbursed? Another person lives alone and pays a friend petrol money to pop in and water plants / pick up the post. Maybe you need to buy a new outfit specifically for a work thing you are travelling for.

I’d never dream of trying to claim for childcare or anything personal. Expense policies need to be transparent, fit all employees and not cause tax complications. My company is very generous but definitely would tell me where to go with childcare!

Victoria and that won't be an option once your dc are at school!

My job doesn't involve travel, it's not part of the job description. I was asked to travel a few months ago and offered childcare costs. I'm not sure why people find it so laughable - if you're job is a job that requires travel then hopefully you were prepared for that when you took it and it is part and parcel of the job but childcare expenses for travel that isn't a usual part of the job isn't wildly unusual.
(Although I known the OP has a job that includes travel so this doesn't apply to her!)

I have travelled for work. I have claimed for petrol, train tickets There was also a daily allowance for food and drink and accommodation and receipts had to be provided. Never heard of employers paying for anything else. I would not expect an employer to pay for a horse if I had one!

YABU. Your choice to have children and pets so your responsibility. I can see an argument made for a contribution to childcare but not for pets. That would be daft.

Your salary will be based on your responsibilities and should allow for the fact that you may have duties involving travel. Large companies could possibly cover some of these extras but there is no way most small businesses could afford to cover the cost of your dogwalker, for example.

We have an employee who seems to think we should cover his childcare - he chose to have a child, his responsibility.

Its a fundamental issue with society. Tax rules were written in a time when women stayed at home and most jobs were 9-5

We are edging into a society where more and more jobs require flexible working, overnights, weekends and Odd shifts etc.

Its too simple to say if you don't like the hours don't take the job, but how many people in reality can afford to wait around for the perfect Job.

Childcare is stuck in the past. The best I can get is 7.30am until 5.30pm, some childminders work later but they are close to impossible to get.

If we want a world where single parents and even couples can work..ie true equality then we as a society need to address the fundimental issues. Like childcare expenses.

I spent 3 years once working as a support worker for adults with disabilities...I'd be paid £33 to 'sleep in' 2 nights a week. My childcare costs were more than double what I'd make overnight.

Jobs at all ends of the pay scales are affected.