Londoners, contacless on the tube - receipts?

[KayMan]

As TfL has now rolled out contactless on the tube with daily and weekly capping applied, its certainly going to be cheaper than traditional travel cards / PAYG. But when it comes to expensing, I am not sure it is such a good idea. My reasoning is when I buy a weekly travel card I request a receipt. But for contactless, the best you can do is register you card with TFL (https://contactless.tfl.gov.uk/). This will give you journey history and cost, but will HMRC consider this a valid receipt?

[KayMan]

Here is what a sample journey would look like on that portal. Any chance HMRC will think of this as a receipt?

[TheCyclingProgrammer]

I don't see why it wouldn't be.

I only ever used Oyster PAYG and claimed for individual journeys using my monthly journey report as evidence.

This is no different.

The only issue I can think of is if you are recovering VAT you'd need a valid VAT invoice.

[KayMan]

I don't see why it wouldn't be.

I only ever used Oyster PAYG and claimed for individual journeys using my monthly journey report as evidence.

This is no different.

The only issue I can think of is if you are recovering VAT you'd need a valid VAT invoice.

Thanks.

No VAT for me, on FRS.

[DigitalUser]

I don't see why it wouldn't be.

I only ever used Oyster PAYG and claimed for individual journeys using my monthly journey report as evidence.

This is no different.

The only issue I can think of is if you are recovering VAT you'd need a valid VAT invoice.

I thought you couldn't claim for Oyster PAYG? At least, that's what my understanding was/is.

[SueEllen]

I thought you couldn't claim for Oyster PAYG? At least, that's what my understanding was/is.

You can claim.

HMRC updated their advice a few years ago.

You get a weekly or monthly statement which acts as your receipt.

You can also get an oyster card which you use for business use only. You can then top it up with money from your business account and as long as you only use if for business travel you don't need to record each journey.

Edited to say: The advice was updated because it was cheaper for people to travel using an oyster card than paper tickets.

[CloudWalker]

I've just got a bPay band for everything, food / travel / coffees

www.bpayband.co.uk

[TheCyclingProgrammer]

I thought you couldn't claim for Oyster PAYG? At least, that's what my understanding was/is.

Don't think you can claim for the top ups but individual journeys are fine.

[Jessica@WhiteFieldTax]

Don't think you can claim for the top ups but individual journeys are fine.

You can claim for any thing that's Wholly Exclusively and Neccessarily business.

There's no reason why you can't claim top ups if that suits your accounting, but there is a possibility - IMV remote, but still there - that HMRC will require you to demonstrate WHN on each journey under the top up. Clearly this is easier if you have a seperate card for business, and if you have journey logs etc.

You could expense top ups and repay private journeys.

So long as you get to the correct end deduction, and it's transparent, no one will worry.

[Jessica@WhiteFieldTax]

Slightly sideways, but to clear up a myth.

You don't need recipts to claim an expense.

However you should have evidence of that expense. Obviously recipts are good evidence, but a log from TFL website is as good.

Less good, but still normally acceptable, is a line entry on credit card or bank statement, especially for smaller items and where there is little doubt what the item is.

In extremis a contemporaneous self written petty cash docket works.

For non vat registered or FRS traders, there's nothing else to worry about. For those on normal vat there's a need to evidence input tax, for which a vat recipt is the safest option, but HMRC can accept alternative evidence. Apart from fraud in known risk areas, eg carousel fraud and missing trader, it's quite rare theres a problem in practice.