Limited Company claiming expenses

[Kevin1908]

I have worked as a contractor through a limited company for many years on a straight hourly rate. When it has been necessary to claim expenses, the last time was 20 years ago my company claimed the expenses plus VAT.
Recently I have been waiting for a new contract to materialise. The client, large international construction company, was delayed signing his contract with his client. So I asked the agent to look out for short term contracts. He found one for 4 weeks that has turned into a 6 week contract finishing this week.
To make this simple my limited company is A, the agent is B, his client is C, C's client is E but E's sole agency for employing contract staff is D. So that is A-B-C-D-E.
Originally the role was to work from home or C's office in London with visits to E in the Midlands. The agent was negotiating the rate and the question of expenses came up. In the end the agent negotiated £x per day from home or London or £x+£100 if on E's site. Whilst this was going to be occasional visits it ended up with me on E's site every day so I benefit from weekly train season tickets.
Now C is asking me to claim expenses from E as he is paying the extra £100(plus mark up) per day to B. This has to be done via E's intranet site but D haven't issued me with a log on and D is impossible to deal with. C has asked me to contact E's HR but HR don't deal with contractors.
To be blunt I don't really care as I am getting paid. B has a purchase order so he is happy as despite getting threats from C he will call in the lawyers. I am happy to send a copy of receipts to C but I will be putting the original receipts through A's accounts as I have paid for the expenses personally and will put them through my books.
So how can C claim the same expenses as me. Seems C messed up by not negotiating the same deal with D.
Literally just come off the phone from my agent and it seems C is going to refuse to pay the higher rate to B unless the expenses are put through E which I can't do without access to E's intranet site.
A real pig's ear and makes you wonder what a contract is worth.

[northernladuk]

Wow, erm.. Well the one thing that jumps out at me here is this comment,

D haven't issued me with a log on and D is impossible to deal with.

Make them issue you a log in and it's happy days? They can't be impossible, hard maybe but that's gonna happen in a chain like that. I would take a punt at pushing D to fulfil their obligations and the advice offered by some other bloody letter.

[TheCyclingProgrammer]

I don't see why Company E's internal expenses system has got anything to do with you. They aren't your employer, you don't even have a contractual relationship with them.

You claim your actual out of pocket expenses from YourCo as normal.

YourCo invoices agency B for additional expenses at whatever rate was agreed on.

Agency B invoices whoever they need to to cover your expenses charges. It's not your problem.

[CloudWalker]

[Batcher]

TL;DR

[TheCyclingProgrammer]

TL;DR

Somebody in the supply chain from OP to end client doesn't know their arse from their elbow. My bet is on the agent, but possibly OP.

[mudskipper]

Provide the receipts to your agent, and then they can claim expenses from whomsoever they want.

Is it your birthday on the 19th?

If so,

C C D C F E
Happy Birthday to you

C C D C G F
Happy Birthday to you

C C (high)C A F E D
Happy Birthday dear Kevin

B (flat) B(flat) A F G F
Happy Birthday to youuu.

[I just need to test it]

I always hated algebra at school, and this thread is bringing on all sorts of flashbacks.

[Kevin1908]

I don't see why Company E's internal expenses system has got anything to do with you. They aren't your employer, you don't even have a contractual relationship with them.

You claim your actual out of pocket expenses from YourCo as normal.

YourCo invoices agency B for additional expenses at whatever rate was agreed on.

Agency B invoices whoever they need to to cover your expenses charges. It's not your problem.

Well I agree that it is not my problem except I am not the one getting paid so in a large way it is my problem. I agree that since the contract between my limited company is with the agent then the agent is in breach of contract for not paying the agreed enhanced rate. (under pressure from "C"). In fact the agent is now saying I should pay back the first 2 weeks difference between the basic rate and the enhanced rate. Well they can ask but until somebody pays the full expenses I will not be paying anybody anything or I will be hit with a double whammy.
Last Friday was my last day on the job and finally got access to the expenses system but the page came up as "unable to display the page".
After a lot of faffing about the help desk told me there was an issue with the expenses system with an internet server proxy problem with certain IP addresses??????? and to contact HR. When I contacted HR they packed up at 1.00 pm and it was now 1.30.
Any way after phoning up the owner of the agency and threatening to walk of the job, even if it was the last day, I have dumped the whole lot in the lap of "C".
If needs be I will invoice the agent and let the whole think take its course. I have to tread carefully as the agent is the same agent dealing with my next job but a contract is a contract after all. "C" is blaming the end client for moving the goal posts with just goes to show that a contract is only worth the paper it is written on when you the contractor is at fault.
One final lever I have is the client loaned me £1500 worth of s/w to use when working at another client site and there being no wifi or mobile comms I was unable to access the internet.
So I am owed expenses, I need to pay back the agent the "apparent" overpayment and I have C's software. Looks like quite a fight brewing.

[TheFaQQer]

Did you opt out of the agency regulations in writing before being introduced to the client?

If you didn't, then you are entitled to be paid for the work that you did, regardless of whether the agent gets paid or not - invoice for the work and follow up for late payment charges if they don't pay you. Your hassle ends there - the agency getting paid by their client is not your problem any more.

If you did, then it becomes more complicated. Firstly, invoice the agency for the correct amount that you are owed. Make sure you get that in correctly at the right time, so that when they pay late, you have some legal comeback and can charge interest and expenses.

Then you need to get your expenses / time input into the right system to allow all the payments to flow through to you. If that means you have to speak to someone and keep chasing them, then you need to do that. If that means that you ring whoever you reported to and ask them to manually put the expenses into the system for you so that the payment flows through to you, then you do that. If that means that you have to go down in person and wait there until you have entered the expenses, then you do it.

The only other alternative you have is to not bother chasing for the money, put it down as a bad debt and think of how lucky you are because it helps your EBT score. Woo.