Expenses for Working Abroad.

[prozak]

Use the cheapest way to get currency out whether it's your business card or personal cards. Make sure you keep all receipts.

As you will be away for months you will find that you are allowed your rent and a daily living allowance for food. This means you won't be claiming for individual meals apart from your days of travel.

There is a booklet on HMRC's website which gives Civil service rates that you can claim world-wide. It's on this page - Employment income: scale rate expenses payments: accommodation and subsistence payments to employees travelling outside the UK

I suggest you read everything people have guided you to, then confirm with your accountant that you are allowed to do all this.

Thanks. Great link that one.

So it seems I can use those benchmarks as long as I get in a P11Dx.

They seem reasonable for Barbados. Approx £100-110 for the hotel room and £60 for subsistence.

That looks the way to go, the guidance suggests I don't have to keep loads of receipts. In fact if I use HMRC scale rates it seems that no receipts are required?

[Pondlife]

Thanks. Great link that one.

So it seems I can use those benchmarks as long as I get in a P11Dx.

They seem reasonable for Barbados. Approx £100-110 for the hotel room and £60 for subsistence.

That looks the way to go, the guidance suggests I don't have to keep loads of receipts. In fact if I use HMRC scale rates it seems that no receipts are required?

ALWAYS keep reciepts.

[TheFaQQer]

Thanks. Great link that one.

So it seems I can use those benchmarks as long as I get in a P11Dx.

They seem reasonable for Barbados. Approx £100-110 for the hotel room and £60 for subsistence.

That looks the way to go, the guidance suggests I don't have to keep loads of receipts. In fact if I use HMRC scale rates it seems that no receipts are required?

I thought that to use a scale rate, you needed dispensation from HMRC to do so? Maybe not for overseas work - I'd speak to an accountant for clarity before you start claiming.

[prozak]

I thought that to use a scale rate, you needed dispensation from HMRC to do so? Maybe not for overseas work - I'd speak to an accountant for clarity before you start claiming.

Yep. That is what the P11Dx does. Application for dispensation.

[TheFaQQer]

Yep. That is what the P11Dx does. Application for dispensation.

You'll need to be able to prove that you have robust controls in place to stop employees just claiming anything, and that someone other than the person making the claim approves the claim.

If you haven't got that, then chances are that the application will be rejected.

Oh - and you'll still need to keep the receipts.

[Fred Bloggs]

Yep. That is what the P11Dx does. Application for dispensation.

We have a dispensation to pay an overnight scale rate for the UK but HMRC have let us know that when it is due to be reviewed in 2012 they will likely withdraw it. They don't like small Ltd Co's having them, apparently.

I didn't think you needed a dispensation to apply the overseas scale rates?