Travel Expenses

[contractor300591]

I have been offered a contract working over 2 hours away from home and therefore would have to stay in hotels/b&bs. I have had a look online and the prices are about 170p/wk (sunday - Friday) My day rate is 150p/day = 750p/wk. As I need to work out before I commit whether this would be cost effective to do so, I've read online that I can claim the cost of my accommodation back? Would I be able to claim back the whole £170p/wk back despite my earnings being £750p/wk or would I only be able to claim back a percentage?

[eek]

I have been offered a contract working over 2 hours away from home and therefore would have to stay in hotels/b&bs. I have had a look online and the prices are about 170p/wk (sunday - Friday) My day rate is 150p/day = 750p/wk. As I need to work out before I commit whether this would be cost effective to do so, I've read online that I can claim the cost of my accommodation back? Would I be able to claim back the whole £170p/wk back despite my earnings being £750p/wk or would I only be able to claim back a percentage?

It depends on the terms of your contract and whether you are caught by IR35 or not. As if you are caught or you use an umbrella company rather than a limited company you cannot deduct expenses. Beyond that the decision as to whether its worth its cost effective is one only you can answer.

[northernladuk]

You also need to realise that even though you are claiming it back it's still ultimately coming out of your own pocket. Reading that I don't think you are understanding your end to end finance model.

[TheCyclingProgrammer]

I'm not sure contracting is worth the risk full stop for only £150/day.

[SueEllen]

I have been offered a contract working over 2 hours away from home and therefore would have to stay in hotels/b&bs. I have had a look online and the prices are about 170p/wk (sunday - Friday) My day rate is 150p/day = 750p/wk. As I need to work out before I commit whether this would be cost effective to do so, I've read online that I can claim the cost of my accommodation back? Would I be able to claim back the whole £170p/wk back despite my earnings being £750p/wk or would I only be able to claim back a percentage?

If you work via your own limited company and are not caught by IR35 the £170 a week comes out of the £750 a week. So you will be taking home £580 per week plus you will have your travel costs on top. If you are caught by IR35 or work through an umbrella company you cannot claim any of it back.

Personally for such a low rate I would say it's financially not viable.

[SlipTheJab]

Agree with whats been said, that low rate may work for a local gig a bus ride away but not a remote one where you're staying away in the week, OP is it really worth it?

[Brussels Slumdog]

£175 B&B for 5 nights sounds like a bed in a shed with a bowl of cornflakes.This is what I was paying in about 1980.How about eating and the return fare?

[filthy1980]

my first contract was £150 p/d 250 miles away in Newcastle, stayed in £22 per night B&B,

we all have to start somewhere, and sometimes you have to take the risk that although a job may not make a whole lot of sense on a spreadsheet, if it's your first foot in the door it can be worse the risk

all dependent on personal circumstance though

[northernladuk]

my first contract was £150 p/d 250 miles away in Newcastle, stayed in £22 per night B&B,

we all have to start somewhere, and sometimes you have to take the risk that although a job may not make a whole lot of sense on a spreadsheet, if it's your first foot in the door it can be worse the risk

all dependent on personal circumstance though

This. If you can smash the crap gigs and make it work then it's happy days when the big money ones come rolling in.