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Travelling to work 'is work', European court rules
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johnmurray  
#1 Posted : 12 September 2015 10:40:04(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
johnmurray
Time spent travelling to and from first and last appointments by workers without a fixed office should be regarded as working time, the European Court of Justice has ruled

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-34210002
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firesafety101  
#2 Posted : 12 September 2015 10:48:15(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
firesafety101
John, I heard this on the news and am happy with the decision.

As a self employed and working fom home this could be good for me as I have occasionally heard the Revenue and Customs preventig ppl like me from claiming mileage allowance for their first journey of the day.

My first journey could be a site safety inspection 200 or so miles away.

I hope the tax people now take this on board.
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johnmurray  
#3 Posted : 12 September 2015 15:48:24(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
johnmurray
FireSafety101 wrote:
John, I heard this on the news and am happy with the decision.

As a self employed and working fom home this could be good for me as I have occasionally heard the Revenue and Customs preventig ppl like me from claiming mileage allowance for their first journey of the day.

My first journey could be a site safety inspection 200 or so miles away.

I hope the tax people now take this on board.


HMRC are really only any good to a taxpayer if they are in the million-a-year tax bracket.
I'm rather afraid that a self-employed H&S adviser/consultant is at the bottom of the stack for HMRC interest.
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O'Donnell54548  
#4 Posted : 14 September 2015 12:06:36(UTC)
Rank: Forum user
O'Donnell54548
I worked from home for my last employer and had the conversation with them about when I started work. I pointed out that as I was covered by their Employer's Liability Insurance once I left home on business, then I was 'at work' as soon as I stepped out of the door. Right or wrong I had this accepted by them.
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RiskyBusiness  
#5 Posted : 15 September 2015 09:36:38(UTC)
Rank: Forum user
RiskyBusiness
On a related topic, if you are working for yourself, you should be aware of changes that HMRC are to make to the way travel and subsistence costs will be treated.
For me, the proposed restriction on travel and subsistence allowances will be devastating for my business and my clients. I frequently incur large bills when travelling and staying close to my client’s premises. I simply will not be able to take on these contracts, and perform the functions my clients need, if my ability to claim relief on these expenses is curtailed.
The proposal will also put businesses like mine at a huge competitive disadvantage to very large firms. While large businesses will still be able to claim expenses, consultants working through their own company will not. For these very small businesses, a contract with a client several miles away from their base will no longer be a viable option.
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achrn  
#6 Posted : 15 September 2015 11:20:43(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
achrn
RiskyBusiness wrote:
On a related topic, if you are working for yourself, you should be aware of changes that HMRC are to make to the way travel and subsistence costs will be treated.
For me, the proposed restriction on travel and subsistence allowances will be devastating for my business and my clients. I frequently incur large bills when travelling and staying close to my client’s premises. I simply will not be able to take on these contracts, and perform the functions my clients need, if my ability to claim relief on these expenses is curtailed.


Can you elaborate - I'm aware of changes to contract workers employed through intermediaries such as umbrella companies, but the changes I am aware of won't apply to anyone who is genuinely a self-employed consultant, or indeed to someone travelling somewhere other than their normal place of work.
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David Bannister  
#7 Posted : 15 September 2015 13:59:18(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
David Bannister
Risky, you've got me interested too. Can't find any mention of this change on HMRC website.

Is there a link you can post to provide more information please?
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bob youel  
#8 Posted : 16 September 2015 10:21:10(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
bob youel
this is an old chestnut and has always applied with regards to the H&S aspects of employment and its good to see the widening of the philosophy however managers and employers will not like it
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JohnW  
#9 Posted : 16 September 2015 10:36:59(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
JohnW
As a sole trader H&S consultant, doing my own accounts etc., I've always kept things simple with my clients.

If their site is less than 10 miles from my home I don't include that travel time on my invoice (charge by the hour).

If their site is more than 10 miles away I include travel time on my invoice

I don't charge fuel costs, the travel time charge more than pays that.

Would HMRC have a problem with that arrangement?

With one customer who I do work for 1 day a week travelling to different sites (some up to 80 miles away) I have an even simpler arrangement, I just charge a daily rate irrespective of where they are - charging them £40 a day more than for a local customer day rate.
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