Worldwide Subsistence Rate (moved from General)

[WTFH]

scotslad Original post

Hi everyone, I sometimes work abroad for few months at a time. i claim the wordwide subsistence rate for hotels and food. Which means no need for countless receipts. I have now been told by my accountant that these rates are purely for large companies. Is this correct as I know of a lot of single entity companies who claim this?

[WTFH]

In all my travelling for contracts, I've never claimed a flat rate, always been based on receipts.

Are you re-charging your clients?

[Fred Bloggs]

I think receipts are now the only way. Years ago you could apply for and get a HMRC dispensation to claim a flat fee expense per day. But they stopped approving those a long time ago. I had a very generous one back in the day.

[SueEllen]

I think receipts are now the only way. Years ago you could apply for and get a HMRC dispensation to claim a flat fee expense per day. But they stopped approving those a long time ago. I had a very generous one back in the day.

I remember getting one of those to cover a contract.

I think you had to have more than one director to do so and for logistical reasons it was better for those director(s) to be based permanently in the UK.

[Fred Bloggs]

I remember getting one of those to cover a contract.

I think you had to have more than one director to do so and for logistical reasons it was better for those director(s) to be based permanently in the UK.

That's correct. Mrs Bloggs was joint director at the time. Hector awarded us a generous flat rate dispensation. Happy days.

[David71]

I used the HMRC flat rates until July 2018. No queries from my accountant and (so far) no queries from HMRC.

[northernladuk]

I think receipts are now the only way. Years ago you could apply for and get a HMRC dispensation to claim a flat fee expense per day. But they stopped approving those a long time ago. I had a very generous one back in the day.

Same, used them for work in the middle east for a few months at time but advised to go back to back to receipts. Shame as they were very lucrative but I was advised to swap back and this was quite a few years ago now.

[Lance]

I think receipts are now the only way. Years ago you could apply for and get a HMRC dispensation to claim a flat fee expense per day. But they stopped approving those a long time ago. I had a very generous one back in the day.

This ^^^^^^

HMRC don't provide them any more.
Nothing to do with the size of company though. Whoever said that was wrong.
I know a guy who had £120 per diem for his PSC.

[Fred Bloggs]

This ^^^^^^

HMRC don't provide them any more.
Nothing to do with the size of company though. Whoever said that was wrong.
I know a guy who had £120 per diem for his PSC.

That was worth having. Mine wasn't quite that good but it made staying over for 5 nights a week instead of 4 all the more tolerable. The best I had on per diem was a job in Asia where the per diem was set in US$ just before the Asian curency crisis. Made more in per diem than in wages.

[scotslad]

In all my travelling for contracts, I've never claimed a flat rate, always been based on receipts.

Are you re-charging your clients?

Hi, I am on a day rate which incorporates my expenses so no charge back to client.