Working from home: employer contributions to costs

[AuntieBacterial]

Hi

I have worked from home from time to time (the odd day each week on average) for my employer for the last 5 years but I always also had an office to use in the company's office building until I went on Maternity leave in 2009. A couple of months before I was due to return to work after Maternity Leave I was informed that there was no longer any space for me in the office and my office was reallocated to somebody else. It was pretty poorly managed with no opportunity for discussion and certainly no discussion of how the additional costs to me would be offset.

Anyway, 6 months down the line I have been looking at how significantly this change has impacted on my utility bills. My heating usage has virtually doubled - solely due to being at home 4 days a week rather than being in the office. I think my employer should contribute to this increase.

Does anyone have any experience of how best to raise this, and what a reasonable position would be? I don't expect my employer to meet every penny of my additional costs but as they enforced the change to home working I think a substantial contribution would be appropriate.

Have your heating costs increased by more than your commuting costs were?

Hi

I have a company car I use to travel to work in and my employer pays for fuel so I haven't gained anything by not needing to commute. So there's nothing to offset my heating costs.

Time you save in not commuting? I would have happily incurred the extra heating expense for the opportunity of working from home. If they found an office for you would you prefer to use it rather than work from home. If so then I'd ask for a contribution and wait for them to find you a desk!

Actually you would pay tax on fuel for personal mileage - which includes driving to and from the office - so assuming you only use your car for business purposes now, you should be paying less tax.

Just a thought.

Hi, i still use roughly the same amount of fuel and it's mostly for personal use, I don't do much business travel by car so the tax I pay is exactly the same as before. I would be worse off if I paid for the fuel so I continue to take this benefit.

I'm not being funny or anything but I was quite happy with the previous arrangement (working occasionally from home). So I really don't see why I should be out of pocket for poor planning and running out of space in the office. Especially when heating costs are so high at the moment. If it was just a couple of quid a week then I wouldn't raise it.

Talk to your employer about it then, and ask for a contribution.

Cat64 - I hear what you are saying but it really isn't like that for me. My company is ultra inflexible and would fire me if they thought I was taking an hour here and there when the boiler man is here or nipping off to a class assembly. I am required to be physically working at my laptop and available on the phone from 8 until at least 6.

If it was as great as you make it sound, then maybe I wouldn't begrudge financing working from home, but for me it really is no different to being in the office in terms of flexibility. So why should I pay for it.

My house is quite open plan so impossible to just heat a tiny room I'm afraid. Heating the lower floor for 4 or 5 days a week (when I would not do otherwise) really does virtually double my costs.

They are saving a fortune by not providing you with office space, and you are incurring costs so it would be fair for them to pay you an allowance. Any allowance over the pathetic threshold of £3 a week must be to pay for specific household expenses otherwise it will be taxable - more information here.

Note that you can claim some household expenses against tax, and you can backdate this claim - more information here.