Reply to: Expensing foreign travel

[northernladuk]

Surely the days you are not taking the exam can be labelled 'business development' or somesuch?

Don't you guys ever take even tiny liberties with what you put through?

I'm not suggesting that you do something crazy like take you and a mate for a week in Bermuda to watch the Rugby Sevens over a weekend that just happens to be your birthday. I mean, no one in their right mind would do that!

Yeah but I think the problem is in many situations like this one the OP hasn't a clue how it works and is just guessing and going with the answer he wants to hear. If they were open to listening and learning they could understand the situation and make risk based decision.

There is a massive gap between making risk based decisions and being greedy and stupid.

[MrMarkyMark]

Sure we do, but that depends on your own attitude to risk. The question is if it's allowable, the answer should be based on the rules, HMRC guidelines etc., not on if we are willing to take the risk of something ourselves.

Exactly this.
TBF, I strongly suspect none of the OPs expenses could be claimed according to HMRC guidelines.

[FrontEnder]

Don't you guys ever take even tiny liberties with what you put through?

Sure we do, but that depends on your own attitude to risk. The question is if it's allowable, the answer should be based on the rules, HMRC guidelines etc., not on if we are willing to take the risk of something ourselves.

[Platypus]

Surely the days you are not taking the exam can be labelled 'business development' or somesuch?

Don't you guys ever take even tiny liberties with what you put through?

I'm not suggesting that you do something crazy like take you and a mate for a week in Bermuda to watch the Rugby Sevens over a weekend that just happens to be your birthday. I mean, no one in their right mind would do that!

[riffpie]

Sounds dodgy to me this. The travel isn't wholly and exclusively for business is it? You can study from home and just fly over for the exam, staying the time you needed.

You could probably justify the hotel stay for the days you need to stay over for the exam. Not sure about the flights though, since you're taking extra time for a holiday, might be tough to argue they are wholly and exclusively for business use.

Nope, it's fine. He doesn't even need to pretend the entire thing is necessary, as long as he doesn't try to deduct the accommodation etc of the non-essential portion.

https://www.gov.uk/hmrc-internal-man...anual/eim31811

[riffpie]

Thanks, that's what I thought.

As for the trip duration, I intend to go a 2 or 3 days before the exam, study whilst there and return straight after the exam - does that sound ok, or is that excessive?

thanks

The travel is still deductible. The accommodation for days when you don't HAVE to be there are not. It's accepted by HMRC that people travelling abroad for company business may also combine that with a short holiday, although expenses for the holiday are not deductible.

https://www.gov.uk/hmrc-internal-man...anual/eim31811

So you needn't restrict yourself to being there just as long as necessary, but be careful what you deduct.

[northernladuk]

[northernladuk]

I think the OP has the answer he likes and us going to ignore the one he doesn't so we won't see him again on this thread.

[missinggreenfields]

Thanks, that's what I thought.

As for the trip duration, I intend to go a 2 or 3 days before the exam, study whilst there and return straight after the exam - does that sound ok, or is that excessive?

thanks

What time is the exam? If it's a morning exam, I'd fly over the night before and then home after the exam. If it's not then fly over that morning and home the following day.

Anything else would look like taking the piss to me - it's not as if you can claim that you need time to recover from the time change or anything like that. If you'd had to take the exam in India, you could have had a week on the beach beforehand to get used to the time change and climate change - plan better next time

[northernladuk]

Exactly my line of thought. I wonder if the exam is legitimate expense.

I think you know the answer to that by now.

[BrilloPad]

Which then leads me to ask... What is the exam and how is it related to your skill set?

Exactly my line of thought. I wonder if the exam is legitimate expense.

[Darren at Fox-Bartfield]

Thanks, that's what I thought.

As for the trip duration, I intend to go a 2 or 3 days before the exam, study whilst there and return straight after the exam - does that sound ok, or is that excessive?

thanks

Would agree with the other guys, this looks excessive. Could understand if you fly the day before for a morning exam then back home the evening after but perhaps a few days beforehand is a little much unless there was a course requirement onsite prior to exam.

[northernladuk]

Which then leads me to ask... What is the exam and how is it related to your skill set?

Questions like this piss me off. Why can't people just give some facts and paint the while picture rather than giving the absolute minimum detail just to get the answer they want.

[MrMarkyMark]

Thanks, that's what I thought.

As for the trip duration, I intend to go a 2 or 3 days before the exam, study whilst there and return straight after the exam - does that sound ok, or is that excessive?

thanks

Sounds like you are trying to get a cheap short break for you and your wife now

[FrontEnder]

Sounds dodgy to me this. The travel isn't wholly and exclusively for business is it? You can study from home and just fly over for the exam, staying the time you needed.

You could probably justify the hotel stay for the days you need to stay over for the exam. Not sure about the flights though, since you're taking extra time for a holiday, might be tough to argue they are wholly and exclusively for business use.