Mileage and Travel Expenses for Work

Being employed and paid PAYE many people are unaware that completing a Self-Assessment tax return could give them tax money back, by way of a tax refund or reduction in tax to be paid.

I used to be an adult education teacher. This meant working at different schools, colleges and centres. I worked for a few employers. One didn’t reimburse my mileage at all and one paid 25p per mile over 15 miles.

I totally didn’t know I could claim 45p per mile for all my travel and no one told me. So all those 15 miles I did (and I did, it was a 30 mile round trip!) I could have been offsetting my tax by £6.75 plus claiming an extra 20p on the part reimbursed £3.00.

Over the course of a 10 week term, 3 times during the academic year (I did this journey once a week), that’s nearly £300 to offset against tax. It may not seem a lot, but if you are doing these journeys every day, every week, all year, it mounts up as an expense to you that you shouldn’t be incurring.

These sort of work journeys would apply to supply teachers, adult education tutors, school invigilators (yep, I’ve done that too), school nurses & dentists and many more. It’s all to do with travelling to different workplaces, not the same one. The rules are complex but we’re here to help.

If you’re unsure whether this applies to you or you would like more information, just get in touch. The tax service we offer is quick and easy along with being a friendly helpful team.