Unable to claim travel costs for new job

[JobQuandary]

Hello,

I’ve posted before about this job and had one issue sorted, but not the other.

Issue no. 2, that remains unresolved, is going to cost me financially (about £3k a year). I was offered a post across the other side of the country (NHS) and, because I only go once a week, the mileage is the same as what my previous job commute was over 5 days a week. However, as part of this new role, I have to go to another hospital site (100 mile round trip from
main base). I was assured by the appointing manager (verbally) that I would be able
to claim full travel costs for this, as my other colleagues do. However, my colleagues live close to the main base, whereas I don’t.

What has happened is, that the travel expense claims system is set up to use your home address as the base buy I actually stay over and don’t travel home (manager happy with this during pre-acceptance of the role discussions). It, therefore, only gives me the difference between home to main base and home to second base, which is around 12 miles difference (not 100 miles round trip). I haven’t even claimed for this as I was hoping to sort out the issue so I could claim what I was entitled to. I’ve been in the job 3 months and on probation (horrified at this as I have > 25 years exemplary work ethic/behaviour during my time in the NHS).

After numerous attempts to get the team (who deal with the travel expenses system) to change it and add the hotel postcode as my base I have been told they can’t use a hotel postcode, meaning I am still unable to claim travel costs and all of this is now coming out of my pocket.

I am reluctant to go to HR or the union as I have already upset my line manager (unintentionally) about issue 1. So, feel a bit like my hands are tied.

I am paying hotel bills at my expense and now funding travel/car costs for a journey I was assured I would get (by my manager). Issue 1 was documented on paper (hence why I had that sorted) but issue 2 wasn’t so I have no proof. I can’t find anything about travel reimbursement on my terms and conditions either.

So, now I’m doing a role for which I’m losing thousands of pounds to do and feel a bit miffed they have allowed this to happen. I would NOT have accepted the job if I’d realised as I’m on my own at home and am the sole wage earner. It is significant to me. I’ve given up a role close to home for this.

I haven’t got any stand on this have I? If I look for another job, I’m worried new employers will
wonder why I’m looking to leave so suddenly. Aside from above, the job is fine. I can’t relocate.

Forgot to say, I head home in another direction after leaving the 2nd base so I am actually only supposed to claim about 74 miles.

Why is your base your home? Are you an official home worker?
If you have a "base" outside the home then travel expenses should be calculated from that base.
Distance from home shouldn't come into it as people could live near or far from their base, that's their choice.

If I set out from my home the NHS system deducts my home to base mileage as it's anticipated I will be paying this out of my own pocket.
Do you fill in a box on the system witj home to base mileage?

What would you claim if you didn’t stay over and make the trips consecutively?

eg a Tuesday home - main base - home (not claimable as normal place of work)
Thursday home - hospital - home (claiming 100 miles, is that correct?)

Sounds like using the hotel and doing two consecutive main base/second hospital days saves you travel time but costs you money.

You might have to decide whether that’s better or worse than splitting the days and being paid mileage, avoiding the hotel cost.

Are they saying they won't pay you the expenses you are requesting or that the system doesn't allow it to be entered like that. Are you expecting them to pay for the hotel? It may be that you need some form of paper expense claim form instead. I'm not sure why you wouldn't go to HR about this or maybe payroll.

You're not allowed to claim mileage from home to your place of work, even if you work in different locations on different days.

If your boss said that place A was your "place of work" and you went to place B from place A (not from home), you could claim mileage from A > B > A, but not from home to B.

Govt rules, not your employer's fault.

It's been a while but for us

Home, location a and location b

If you're designated a home worker then you would be paid travel to location a or location b.

If your main place of work is location a then you don't get travel costs to location a but may get the difference in milage for travel to location b if that's greater.

This isn’t an employer rule, it’s a government tax rule.
Every mileage claim should be reduced by your normal commute miles first unless you’re a home based employee.

@KrumPot base is the main hospital

The system doesn’t allow me to put it in. No, I know I have to pay for the hotel myself.

Yes, the rules are that you claim any travel as if you were travelling from your named base. You can’t claim for home-base miles so that’s deducted.

I know what I’m entitled to. I should be getting what my colleagues (who do the same journey) get. Base is A. I was told I’d get travel expenses to go to the other site ‘B’. So, it should be A to B to A. As the system has my home postcode in as the base then it calculates it from my home but only the difference between home to A or home to B, which is nowhere near what it should be.

I know I can’t claim for home to base.

I don't understand why the system has your home postcode as your base. You say the main hospital is your base???

I was about to ask then same?

If you went from home to B, what’s the distance and would you be able to claim that?

So is it the hotel stay near Base ‘A’ which is causing the problem? Why are you doing that? Doesn’t it make more sense to go to Base A one day (not claimable) and Hospital B another day (claimable)? You can only claim the difference to B versus your usual commute, but you wouldn’t be doing the 100 mile round trip between A and B, or paying out of your own pocket for the hotel.

Sure they don't have you down as a work from home?

Then changing the postcode for your base to the hospital should sort out the problem.

I'll take another look at it. I tend to stay at a hotel near base A. We are allowed travel time for getting to and from B.

I can't drive home in-between going to A one day and B the next as the mileage will rocket up on the car and it'll cost me too much in fuel/car maintenance. I've had to book the car in for a service already ( it due until December) as the warning light came on the other day. It shows, already, the extra mileage I'm doing. The car is on PCP so I am limited to 12k a year.

This.

But that’s just it. I’m not getting travel expenses for A > B > A. I’m now working at a loss to
myself.

I don’t expect expenses for home to B. I know this.

Sorry to be a bit dim, but are you actually going from A-B-A?

Is that because your base is set up incorrectly on the system?