Reply to: New Contract - Charging travel & hotels back to agency\client

[Lance]

The latter is fraud.

Plus some clients won't allow any worker to drive over certain distances. This is due to health and safety e.g. them being partially responsible for any accidents you have.

I disagree that it's fraud. You are charging your client an agree rate for travel. If you travel a different method so what? I admit that if they find out then you may have to answer some tough questions and they may sack at the earliest opportunity.

It becomes fraud if you claim the mileage personally from your company when you went by train as you defrauding HMRC of revenue.

IANAL.

[fidot]

Unused train tickets can be returned and a refund obtained, albeit minus an admin fee. This mitigates the risk of purchasing tickets a long way in advance.

[SueEllen]

I agree not something i'd be doing and anyone driving into London for 4+ hours opposed to a 2 hour train would need their head checking

If you have the name of the person/people you met at interview from the client, phone them up today and ask them if they can tell you the client's travel policy.

Make sure you ask about any hotel chains they have an agreement with, and how they would like you to book.

[philo]

The latter is fraud.

Plus some clients won't allow any worker to drive over certain distances. This is due to health and safety e.g. them being partially responsible for any accidents you have.

I agree not something i'd be doing and anyone driving into London for 4+ hours opposed to a 2 hour train would need their head checking

[philo]

If "********" is not your home, but is the client's office, then they will NOT be paying for your train or hotel when you are at that office, they will only pay expenses when you are working on other sites.

***** is the northern office but I'll be required to go to London office for half the week. So i will do normal commute to the northern office without expenses chargeable to client & will going to other sites inc. London

[WTFH]

Yes - paid for all expenses incurred in travelling and staying at other sites with ******** being the home location, for which expenses will not be covered.

If "********" is not your home, but is the client's office, then they will NOT be paying for your train or hotel when you are at that office, they will only pay expenses when you are working on other sites.

[b r]

I'm happy to do this - quieter carriages, bigger tables etc. but how do you charge a 2nd class ticket price say of £80 and your paying £150? Or do you just throw in the mileage instead......?

Have to suck it up, although often I'll get a train earlier/later so I can earn the difference :-)

tbh I look at the bigger picture, and having been 'travelling' with/for work for +30 years now I'm just not prepared to slum it (privately or business) to save a few quid - plus in 1st class you get meals/drinks and free wifi.

[philo]

Hmm you want to go in late and finish early when you are only down there for one or two days. I'd be very careful with that. Personally I'd be putting full days in first and then when it's all settled start stretching it a little.

What do you mean claim? The business can buy them yes and if contract gets cancelled you just end up paying for something you didn't use.

I'm not looking to take the michael at all. say i need to be in London Monday to Wednesday - more thinking of working 10 - 18.30 monday, 8 - 5 tuesday and then wednesday 7.30 - 4 just that type of flexibility. Or even make sure you get the 4pm train and catch up on emails for an hour or 2 on way home. Certainly the first month it will be in office 8am Monday and late train Wednesday whilst i work things out. Just looking for peoples experience.

As for buying the train tickets in advance - it would make sense to buy in advance for better prices - rather than just booking the day before travel and hitting the company with the highest charge each time - but at the same times dont want to be stuck with 8 weeks of train tickets or hotels

[SueEllen]

I'm happy to do this - quieter carriages, bigger tables etc. but how do you charge a 2nd class ticket price say of £80 and your paying £150? Or do you just throw in the mileage instead......?

The latter is fraud.

Plus some clients won't allow any worker to drive over certain distances. This is due to health and safety e.g. them being partially responsible for any accidents you have.

[philo]

Not sure if others have said, but what you spend and what you charge don't have to be the same :-)

My last client would pay for 2nd class travel whereas I went 1st class - sometimes it cost me next to nothing extra, other times more.

But I still charged my company the full cost to me.

I'm happy to do this - quieter carriages, bigger tables etc. but how do you charge a 2nd class ticket price say of £80 and your paying £150? Or do you just throw in the mileage instead......?

[philo]

"The agency said that travel expenses will be chargeable back to the client"

Lol, mine will as well if travelling away from main sites I work at, you may get a shock when client (project manager) says No way, you say my agent said you would, client says talk to your agent

Get it in your contract or increase your rate to cover it now.

I've got this in my contract first draft - currently getting reviewed at QDOS:

Yes - paid for all expenses incurred in travelling and staying at other sites with ******** being the home location, for which expenses will not be covered.

[tarbera]

"The agency said that travel expenses will be chargeable back to the client"

Lol, mine will as well if travelling away from main sites I work at, you may get a shock when client (project manager) says No way, you say my agent said you would, client says talk to your agent

Get it in your contract or increase your rate to cover it now.

[b r]

Not sure if others have said, but what you spend and what you charge don't have to be the same :-)

My last client would pay for 2nd class travel whereas I went 1st class - sometimes it cost me next to nothing extra, other times more.

But I still charged my company the full cost to me.

[northernladuk]

Hopefully we can come to some suitable arrangement about the travel - whether its get into London later than normal say 1030 on day of travel and work early the last day for an earler dart back to the station

Not looking for anything extra - rates good and happy with a few days in London each week. Just want to look fairly clued up before getting roped into anything some would say oh u dont have to do that.

Also......what happens with booking tickets for example u cant cancel for say the next month - and then your contract gets cancelled - can you claim for those or not? Or is that the risk?

Hmm you want to go in late and finish early when you are only down there for one or two days. I'd be very careful with that. Personally I'd be putting full days in first and then when it's all settled start stretching it a little.

What do you mean claim? The business can buy them yes and if contract gets cancelled you just end up paying for something you didn't use.

[philo]

Hopefully we can come to some suitable arrangement about the travel - whether its get into London later than normal say 1030 on day of travel and work early the last day for an earler dart back to the station

Not looking for anything extra - rates good and happy with a few days in London each week. Just want to look fairly clued up before getting roped into anything some would say oh u dont have to do that.

Also......what happens with booking tickets for example u cant cancel for say the next month - and then your contract gets cancelled - can you claim for those or not? Or is that the risk?