To expect to keep my full car allowance even though I'm part time?

[PoppyBlunt]

I know most companies pro rata car allowance for PT employees.

I went PT (4 days a week) 4 years ago. When I did so my car allowance remained in full and was not pro rata.

I have recently been promoted and with the grade change have an increased car allowance. The grade I was at has an allowance of 5.5k pa and the new grade allowance is 7.5k pa.

HR have taken an age to send my contract and I was paid before receiving it. I was paid the 7k car allowance in full rather than pro rata.

My contract (yet to sign) is saying it is pro rata i.e. 6k.

AIBU to push back on my contract and state there is a precedent (as I was paid it in full for 4 years) and also that I've been paid for the full amount with my new package?

Anyone got any HR insight on this?

Seriously?!

YABU

I think you should consider you’ve done pretty well out of that the past 4 years and accept that the pro rata is completely fair.

They could equally say you owe them back the over payment you’ve received and recoup that from your salary going forwards, so personally I’d keep quiet.

They wouldn't be able to recoup as it was in my contract for the previous role.

I work 4 days per week and get full car allowance. If you were taking the car instead of cash you would get a full car and not 4/5ths of a car!

YABVU. You should consider yourself very lucky and just be grateful.

Seriously?!

YANBU OP

Don’t get sucked into “think yourself lucky”. When negotiating pay, it often helps to think , “what would a man do in this situation?” Women so often accept less than they are worth. It won’t hurt to have the conversation , especially as it differs from your last contract - you’re not being unreasonable to think it wouldn’t change. So ask ?!

Sounds like they made a mistake not to pro rata it when you went part time though, rather than purposefully giving you an extra benefit.

I’d certainly ask why it is prorated for the new role and request that it be paid in full as you can, as a previous PP pointed out, hardly drive four fifths of a car!

With no experience of ever having a company car, or car allowance, and no HR or legal background, but just looking a it logically (as someone who has worked PT for years) I would say YABU.
You will only be using your car for work for 4/5 of the working week, so logically, it seems right you only get 4/5 of the allowance to me.

Yes I expect they did, that's kind of the whole point of my question.

While it's delightful reading some of this drivel, you should expect the full car allowance. As PP says a company car would be wholly yours. The cash allowance is to provide you for a car - the garage won't charge you 90% of the value because you work 90%.

Raise it with them.

This is kind of where I'm at...

But interesting to see the differing opinions, as they may be shared by those that I have to negotiate with.

Same here!

If they are offering the benefit as a car allowance (prob because it involves them not paying pension or bonus on it as they would if it was salary) then they can damn well not discriminate against part time workers. You can’t take 4/5 of a car so why should you take a 20% reduction on the equivalent allowance?

I agree with PP if they were giving you a company car you'd get a whole car. The allowance is to fund the car you need for work. It doesn't cost less because OP works PT.

My company tried this 15 years ago
I pushed back and they caved

Yanbu, 2 days or 4 days you still need a whole car for your job if there is a car allowance. Just push back, I very much doubt they’ll argue. Hope you get it.

Yes @PoppyBlunt I think the ‘what happens to car if part time’ is a difficult one. The allowance is to fund a car - those costs are not reduced when you go part time. So it may not have been a mistake but their policy may have changed since your last contract. Some organisations fund the car but say your ‘mileage allowance’ is pro-rated, etc. I’d ask for an explanation!

YANBU. You don’t ask, you don’t get.

If this we’re a man, he would expect the full allowance as his due.

It’s only women who are told to be grateful for what they get.

Your not being unreasonable at all I am another part time worker and I get full car allowance . Like another PP said they wouldn't stop me using the car on my day off.

I'd be careful, my employer mistakenly paid me full car allowance, despite being p/t...and then noticed and I had to pay it back. Somewhat naively, I hadn't actually noticed, so hadn't been trying to get one over on them or anything.

Also very fair points about needing a whole car and not x% of one! Damn it, wish I'd pushed back now!

I used to get a car allowance in my last role. I would say it's to pay for the car itself so should be paid in full. it's a benefit that comes with the role not with the hours worked.

Fuck that, of COURSE you push back!!! Only a sucker wouldn’t. It’s not a voluntary role, negotiate.

keep in mind - you can’t drive 4/5th of a car. Hit them with that and push back.

Also statistically, you’re most likely already under paid, I tell them that too. It’s a sellers market

You may get a whole car if you took the car rather than the allowance but would you get one to the same value as if you were full time?

Jane works 36 hours and is entitled to a company car to the value of £30k or cash equivalent
Sarah works 18 hours and is entitled to a company car to the value of £15k or cash equivalent

sounds fair to me.