Expense policy
As a contractor you have the right to claim for legitimate business expenses incurred in connection with your work at a temporary workplace.
It is important for you to be able to enjoy this benefit, without worrying about the hassle of correctly monitoring what you can claim for, and how much. At Pulse we are here to do the hard work for you. We will remain fully compliant with HMRC legislation, and work with you to ensure that you are repaid for your legitimate business expenses.
Our service is honest and above board and we will ensure that you receive what is legitimately yours, without dragging you into any risky grey areas to try and beat the system!
What can I claim for?
Typical examples of what you can claim for are:
Travel
How you get to work is quite often your biggest expense – hardly seems fair does it? Well this is where we can start to save you money. Depending on how you travel you can expect to benefit from the following:
| Vehicle | Rate |
|---|---|
| Car | 45p per mile up to 10000, then 25p per mile thereafter |
| Motorbike | 24p per mile |
| Cycle | 20p per mile |
| Bus | Full amount claimable with receipt |
| Taxi | Full amount claimable with receipt |
| Train | Full amount claimable with receipt |
| Plane | Full amount claimable with receipt |
Subsistence
As a contractor you may be able to claim back the cost of meals while working at your temporary workplace:
| Meal | Rate |
|---|---|
| Breakfast (if leaving home before 6:00am) | £5 |
| Meals (if working between 5-10 hours a day) | £5 |
| Meals (if working more than 10 hours a day)* | £10 |
| Evening meal (if leaving work after 8:00pm) | £15 |
* You can claim either the 5-10 hours rate or the 10 hour rate
Overnight stay: If your role dictates that you have to stay overnight away from home, you can also claim the costs incurred.
These are some of typical expenses that you may incur as a contractor, though they are not the only savings. You can also potentially claim in the following areas:
- Car Hire
- Parking charges
- Associated travel costs
- Training and tuition
- Manuals and text books
- VDU eyesight tests for VDU users
- Professional subscriptions
- Office consumables and stationary
- Business telephone calls
Important to consider!
- All claims are for expenses incurred wholly, exclusively and necessarily in performing your business duties.
- You will need to keep all receipts, HMRC state that we must regularly audit a selection of claims each month. Should you be selected for audit and your claim is not supported by receipts, we will not be able to treat your expenses as tax deductible.
- Costs incurred prior to joining Pulse are not able to be claimed.
- You may only claim travel and subsistence costs for working at a temporary workplace. That means you can’t claim any expenses in relation to a workplace where you have worked (or know you are going to work at) for more than two years.
- Where receipts are required, originals must be provided.
How much can I claim?
Using the information provided on what you can claim, use our online payment calculator to work out how much you may be able to claim back.
How do I claim?
We have a quick and easy process in place to help you correctly process your expenses claims. This is aligned to the way you submit your timesheets so that everything is kept together at all times and we’re always able to pay you the correct amount.
