Is food part of travel expenses....?
Discussion
Hi,
I like to know if travel allowances normally cover food.
I have been offered a job which requires alot of traveling. I will be away from home for 3-4 weeks trip and company will cover the travel expenses but i don't know if food is going to be included otherwise it will be very expensive to eat from outside for 3-4 weeks. What else can be covered?
I like to know if travel allowances normally cover food.
I have been offered a job which requires alot of traveling. I will be away from home for 3-4 weeks trip and company will cover the travel expenses but i don't know if food is going to be included otherwise it will be very expensive to eat from outside for 3-4 weeks. What else can be covered?
Up to a point.
Normal day to days food is looked on as "subsistence" and is an allowed cost for a business.
Obviously, HMRC can query this type of expenditure as they will not allow excessive costs incurred in this area. For example, a £4.00 Big Mac Meal is allowable but a slap up High Tea at the Ritz will not be.
Alcohol is usually excluded too.
Normal day to days food is looked on as "subsistence" and is an allowed cost for a business.
Obviously, HMRC can query this type of expenditure as they will not allow excessive costs incurred in this area. For example, a £4.00 Big Mac Meal is allowable but a slap up High Tea at the Ritz will not be.
Alcohol is usually excluded too.
eybic said:
imho they should pay for any expenses you wouldn't have incurred if you were at home, eating out should be one of those
There may be a certain allowance for daily expenses (£10 or somesuch?) might be worth checking with your company. Or else, reasonable expenses for meals out would be extra, but could be claimed for. Eric Mc said:
Up to a point.
Normal day to days food is looked on as "subsistence" and is an allowed cost for a business.
Obviously, HMRC can query this type of expenditure as they will not allow excessive costs incurred in this area. For example, a £4.00 Big Mac Meal is allowable but a slap up High Tea at the Ritz will not be.
Alcohol is usually excluded too.
Not according to HMRC - at least, not mentioned here http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/manuals/eimanual/EIM31815.h...Normal day to days food is looked on as "subsistence" and is an allowed cost for a business.
Obviously, HMRC can query this type of expenditure as they will not allow excessive costs incurred in this area. For example, a £4.00 Big Mac Meal is allowable but a slap up High Tea at the Ritz will not be.
Alcohol is usually excluded too.
I've pretty much lived on expenses for large parts of my professional life and charging for drinks with meals has always been expected.
OP - really only your employer can answer this, and they should be able to supply you with their expense policy as a matter of course.
Re: claiming alcohol on expenses
HMRC don't expressly forbid it but it depends on what is considered by them to be "reasonable".
A pint or glass of wine with an evening meal would probably be considered reasonable.
A whole bottle of wine or 4 pints probably would not.
HMRC don't specify exact amounts so it comes down to the view of an inspector during an audit.
HMRC don't expressly forbid it but it depends on what is considered by them to be "reasonable".
A pint or glass of wine with an evening meal would probably be considered reasonable.
A whole bottle of wine or 4 pints probably would not.
HMRC don't specify exact amounts so it comes down to the view of an inspector during an audit.
Check the employers travel policy, that's the key paperwork - whether it's allowable for VAT/Corp Tax is entirely their problem.
Ours works on the basis of "average of £XX but don't take the piss" so living on the cheap for three nights then going out on Friday and spending 2 x £XX almost exclusively on beer is considered OK by the people that approve our expenses...
Spending 4 x £XX would probably be a bit much 
Ours works on the basis of "average of £XX but don't take the piss" so living on the cheap for three nights then going out on Friday and spending 2 x £XX almost exclusively on beer is considered OK by the people that approve our expenses...
Spending 4 x £XX would probably be a bit much 
Shirt587 said:
Check the employers travel policy, that's the key paperwork - whether it's allowable for VAT/Corp Tax is entirely their problem.
Ours works on the basis of "average of £XX but don't take the piss" so living on the cheap for three nights then going out on Friday and spending 2 x £XX almost exclusively on beer is considered OK by the people that approve our expenses... Spending 4 x £XX would probably be a bit much
If HMRC queried it, could they not argue that the beer is a benefit in kind?Ours works on the basis of "average of £XX but don't take the piss" so living on the cheap for three nights then going out on Friday and spending 2 x £XX almost exclusively on beer is considered OK by the people that approve our expenses...
Spending 4 x £XX would probably be a bit much (I don't know the answer).
After getting an order recently, I celebrated by claiming two pints of beer with my dinner that night. Living the dream.
to give you some ideas on what to expect, I can claim (but often dont)
Hotels £75.00 per night plus breakfast or as required in a city (London, Manchester etc) then its as required.
Breakfast £10 if not staying away but £30 as part of hotel stay, so total for hotel £105
Lunch £10 either away or not unless with customer then its unlimted.
Dinner £30 unless with customers then unlimited. A couple of drinks allowed. As much drink as required when with customers.
Up to £200 per day per customer for entertainment (not allowed to pay for customers hotel)
We are pretty tight on flights we are supposed to fly budget airlines if possible but often BA and KLM are not much more and will be okay. If you let the company book flights I end up doing stupid journeys, one time Manchester to Amsterdam to Seattle Tachoma to Arizona to Chicago and of course return journey as well. Transatlantic was okay but the rest were like being on an over crowded bus.
Hotels £75.00 per night plus breakfast or as required in a city (London, Manchester etc) then its as required.
Breakfast £10 if not staying away but £30 as part of hotel stay, so total for hotel £105
Lunch £10 either away or not unless with customer then its unlimted.
Dinner £30 unless with customers then unlimited. A couple of drinks allowed. As much drink as required when with customers.
Up to £200 per day per customer for entertainment (not allowed to pay for customers hotel)
We are pretty tight on flights we are supposed to fly budget airlines if possible but often BA and KLM are not much more and will be okay. If you let the company book flights I end up doing stupid journeys, one time Manchester to Amsterdam to Seattle Tachoma to Arizona to Chicago and of course return journey as well. Transatlantic was okay but the rest were like being on an over crowded bus.
My first job didn't allow me to expense lunch. Other than that, it was fair game.
Done most travel with my most recent role and have a pretty decent expense policy (basically, don't take the piss, all meals and sundries required when away can be expensed). Works well if you trust your staff (and obviously it has to be backed up with receipts). I used to do some pretty long stints (months+ in places where most people wouldn't like to go - Iowa in the middle of winter etc) on the road and would expense most stuff with the exception of if I went out for a skinful of beer (in which I'd expense 4 pints or so and pay for the rest myself).
Done most travel with my most recent role and have a pretty decent expense policy (basically, don't take the piss, all meals and sundries required when away can be expensed). Works well if you trust your staff (and obviously it has to be backed up with receipts). I used to do some pretty long stints (months+ in places where most people wouldn't like to go - Iowa in the middle of winter etc) on the road and would expense most stuff with the exception of if I went out for a skinful of beer (in which I'd expense 4 pints or so and pay for the rest myself).
Shirt587 said:
Check the employers travel policy, that's the key paperwork - whether it's allowable for VAT/Corp Tax is entirely their problem.
^ This.The employer's approach may well depend on what level the job is. They may pay a daily allowance (possibly not very generous) and expect you to sort things out for yourself.
Or they may just accept anything as long as it's not outrageous. If you're in a hotel in some Godforsaken place then you might not have a lot of choice and it could get very expensive.
When I worked for a large UK company, we had a guidelines handbook with limits for various expenses dependant upon location visited (London is expected to be more expensive). They also had rule for claiming lunch and evening meals (i.e. if not home before 9pm then you can claim. So I usually got a takeaway on way home which kept misses happy).
Now I work for a smaller company, there are no specific rules but just don't take the urine. All my travel is international so different countries can be cheap/expensive so there a few rules. If you are in an expensive hotel then it is hard to eat cheap. We are not expected to eat at McDonalds or the chippy for example, but I do try to vary the costs across the visit.
I also keep it to two drinks per night. If I am travelling with a manager, then there are no limits on drinks, but I usually pay so that they can sign it off.
Now I work for a smaller company, there are no specific rules but just don't take the urine. All my travel is international so different countries can be cheap/expensive so there a few rules. If you are in an expensive hotel then it is hard to eat cheap. We are not expected to eat at McDonalds or the chippy for example, but I do try to vary the costs across the visit.
I also keep it to two drinks per night. If I am travelling with a manager, then there are no limits on drinks, but I usually pay so that they can sign it off.
I´ve been travelling with a large company for the last 6 years and can endorse the "read the handbook" approach.
I stay in approved hotels which raneg between €90 in Barcelona to 12000Rub in Moscow where the allowance is a little more. (80-200 quid) I am allowed all costs I would not incur at home, however there are recommended limits for meals with excceptions for Geneva, Moscow and London which are more expensive.
2 drinks or half a bottle of wine is fine with a meal and write down the full name of each person you dine with.
I stay in approved hotels which raneg between €90 in Barcelona to 12000Rub in Moscow where the allowance is a little more. (80-200 quid) I am allowed all costs I would not incur at home, however there are recommended limits for meals with excceptions for Geneva, Moscow and London which are more expensive.
2 drinks or half a bottle of wine is fine with a meal and write down the full name of each person you dine with.
Ministry of Defence (Military staff only) is as follows...
Hotels must be booked through a central system (even if it is cheaper to book direct ffs) and this will be Bed and Breakfast. It's been a while since I've traveled foreign on business in the mob (excluding deployments!). The rules state that in the UK, you're allowed a maximum subsistence amount of £25 per day for lunch and dinner and you are allowed one alcoholic drink with your dinner to claim back but must be within the daily amount. As previously mentioned, you could live like a pauper for 4 days and then blow the remainder in the 5th day if you were on a week long course. Receipts must be provided however...
Hotels must be booked through a central system (even if it is cheaper to book direct ffs) and this will be Bed and Breakfast. It's been a while since I've traveled foreign on business in the mob (excluding deployments!). The rules state that in the UK, you're allowed a maximum subsistence amount of £25 per day for lunch and dinner and you are allowed one alcoholic drink with your dinner to claim back but must be within the daily amount. As previously mentioned, you could live like a pauper for 4 days and then blow the remainder in the 5th day if you were on a week long course. Receipts must be provided however...
In my place we are paid for evening meals if we are staying away from home and although there is no set limit I wouldn't go over £12. I tend to get a pizza or something which usually comes in at closer to £8.
We are not paid for daytime eating even if we have to travel away from our base all day - they would expect that to come out of your own normal lunch money.
We are not paid for daytime eating even if we have to travel away from our base all day - they would expect that to come out of your own normal lunch money.
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