Travel advice for new contract

[Old Greg]

Hi.
Just secured a 3 month contract starting 25th June which is 50 miles from home and looking for most effective way to claim for travel or expenses or peoples thoughts on the below:

Option 1 - Train 50 mins with a weekly travel card £110 or monthly £520 (direct train to location and a 6 min walk to client site)
Option 2 - Car - 1 hr 20 with a 140 mile round trip (Longer journey with potential traffic and finding parking in city close to client site also fuel costs running a 2.0l petrol )
Option 3 - Mixture of both above possibly 3 days train and 2 days car or vice versa.

Option 1 is the easiest and most relaxing where as option 2 will be most stressful but with more options to claim. Option 3 will this raise issues from HMRC about choice of commuting and using the most cost effective way ?
If I decide on option 1 is it better to pay through my LTD on a weekly or monthly basis or pay from my own pocket and claim back those expenses later ?

Just wondering what peoples thoughts are on this and their suggestions ?

Thanks...

Option 1. Don't kill yourself to make a bit back on the mileage rate. By the way, a 110 per week ticket should convert to less than 520 per month. You can usually slightly game the system by getting 'odd period' season ticket, so on Monday 25 June, instead of a one month card that will take you to Tuesday 24 July, get an odd period ticket to Friday 27 July. Then get a new one from Monday 30 July to Friday 31 August.

[psychocandy]

Option 1. Don't kill yourself to make a bit back on the mileage rate. By the way, a 110 per week ticket should convert to less than 520 per month. You can usually slightly game the system by getting 'odd period' season ticket, so on Monday 25 June, instead of a one month card that will take you to Tuesday 24 July, get an odd period ticket to Friday 27 July. Then get a new one from Monday 30 July to Friday 31 August.

Aye what I said.

[psychocandy]

Option 1. Don't kill yourself to make a bit back on the mileage rate. By the way, a 110 per week ticket should convert to less than 520 per month. You can usually slightly game the system by getting 'odd period' season ticket, so on Monday 25 June, instead of a one month card that will take you to Tuesday 24 July, get an odd period ticket to Friday 27 July. Then get a new one from Monday 30 July to Friday 31 August.

Now lets just get this clear to start NOT ME!

BUT.......

I know a fellow contractor who used to get the train to client. Instead of claiming expenses for train ticket, he claimed mileage at 45p a mile. His rationale - how on earth were HMRC going to find out how he got to client site?

Not for me. Little gain for a possible shafting if you get caught. (E.g. I did point out that if he was claiming 100+ miles a day for driving that was over 20K business miles. Since they note mileage at MOT time it would look a bit suss if his car only did £15K miles total that year).

His answer - they're not going to check my MOT are they? Probably not. He also had 2 cars so his answer was I used both to drive to client site. Still dodgy IMHO.

[Old Greg]

Now lets just get this clear to start NOT ME!

BUT.......

I know a fellow contractor who used to get the train to client. Instead of claiming expenses for train ticket, he claimed mileage at 45p a mile. His rationale - how on earth were HMRC going to find out how he got to client site?

Not for me. Little gain for a possible shafting if you get caught. (E.g. I did point out that if he was claiming 100+ miles a day for driving that was over 20K business miles. Since they note mileage at MOT time it would look a bit suss if his car only did £15K miles total that year).

His answer - they're not going to check my MOT are they? Probably not. He also had 2 cars so his answer was I used both to drive to client site. Still dodgy IMHO.

Not just dodgy, but fraud. It's funny that people then tell everyone about it I had a contractor colleague who had been claiming the same journey for five years because 'I want to'.

[man]

Now lets just get this clear to start NOT ME!

BUT.......

I know a fellow contractor who used to get the train to client. Instead of claiming expenses for train ticket, he claimed mileage at 45p a mile. His rationale - how on earth were HMRC going to find out how he got to client site?

Not for me. Little gain for a possible shafting if you get caught. (E.g. I did point out that if he was claiming 100+ miles a day for driving that was over 20K business miles. Since they note mileage at MOT time it would look a bit suss if his car only did £15K miles total that year).

His answer - they're not going to check my MOT are they? Probably not. He also had 2 cars so his answer was I used both to drive to client site. Still dodgy IMHO.

And it's because of silly stuff like this that the rules get tightened to choking point and the tax investigations start to include the kitchen sink. I hope you told him how impressed you were - if lots of people start doing it you can bet your bottom dollar at least someone will get caught, and all over a measly few quid.

[psychocandy]

And it's because of silly stuff like this that the rules get tightened to choking point and the tax investigations start to include the kitchen sink. I hope you told him how impressed you were - if lots of people start doing it you can bet your bottom dollar at least someone will get caught, and all over a measly few quid.

Same fella I gave up telling him about the 24 month rule. He'd been there 4 years as well.

AFAIK he never got caught though...

[jayjay69]

Train, ticket paid for by limited debit card, job done.

Out of interest, how is a client 50 miles away requiring a 140 mile round trip, surely it should be 100 mile round trip?

Miscalculation is in fact 65 miles from door to client site ...so 130 round trip

[jayjay69]

Thanks for all the input , train will be the way to go ! It's 50 mins direct route and I should be able to get a seat as I plan an early start probably 6.30 plus checking the route the train has only two stops prior to my station so better odds for a seat , not guaranteed I know but increases the odds.
Not allowing delays it's 10 mins drive to station ( free parking in the back street nearby which has no yellow lines or parking zones ) 50 mins down on train and 6 mins walk to client.

[coolhandluke]

I could be wrong but I believe that you are unable to claim the full 100% for a season ticket if the ticket allows travel on the weekends.

[Old Greg]

Thanks for all the input , train will be the way to go ! It's 50 mins direct route and I should be able to get a seat as I plan an early start probably 6.30 plus checking the route the train has only two stops prior to my station so better odds for a seat , not guaranteed I know but increases the odds.
Not allowing delays it's 10 mins drive to station ( free parking in the back street nearby which has no yellow lines or parking zones ) 50 mins down on train and 6 mins walk to client.

Don't forget to claim mileage to and from the station.