If your job requires you to travel on business you may be able to get tax relief on your travel expenses. You can go back several years to get the relief - the time you've got depends on whether you've previously sent in a Self Assessment tax return.
If you've got to make journeys for business purposes you can deduct your travelling expenses from your taxable income - so you'll pay less tax.
You can only get tax relief on the cost of business journeys. These are when, as part of your job:
But business journeys don't include:
If you're not sure if a place you travel to counts as a permanent workplace, you can call HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) for advice.
You can get tax relief on the necessary costs of business travel such as:
But you can't get tax relief for things that aren't directly related to the business journey - like your newspaper or private phone calls.
You might have to use your own car, van, motorbike or cycle to make business journeys. Your employer can give you mileage allowance payments to cover your costs - up to a certain maximum amount per mile - and you don't have to pay tax on them.
If your employer doesn't pay you the maximum, you are entitled to tax relief on the difference between:
You'll need to keep good records of the business mileage you do and of the mileage allowance payments your employer gives you. You cannot get relief for your actual expenses if they are greater than the allowed maximum per mile.
To find out how you can get tax relief for your travel and subsistence costs follow the link below: 'How to get allowances and reliefs - employees or directors'.
If you haven't completed a tax return, you've got five years from the 31 October following the end of the year concerned to get the relief. If you've previously completed a return, it's five years from 31 January following the end of the year concerned.
Money, tax and benefits
