Simple - you work for an umbrella (I didn't say through, BTW), you follow their rules. It's up to them what those rules are. Most companies will allow some degree of "free" expenses for working away from home - the MOD, for instance have separate claimable limits for lunch and dinner as well as what used to be called "beer and skittles" money, which was a few quid for a call home, the paper, a drink in the evening and the like. There is a balance point where HMRC will stop seeing this as an allowance and it becomes a BIK. Hence each umbrella has to decide where it wants to draw the line, and whatever they say are the rules, them's the rules.
Either way, it's not their tax at risk, it's yours. The only way to be properly in control of what you can claim is to run your own company.
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faulty umbrella
Hello
For those using an umbrella company, what is the situation with unreceipted expenses? Can you claim a daily subsistence dept. on how long you're out of the house for?
My quote from 4 umbrellas listed on this site was based on an estimated weekly income, incorporating these unreceipted expenses. Can anyone shed light on this confusing situation? Some umbrellas say they can process unreceipted, some say they can't...
Any advice appreciated
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