Work expenses (rant)

My employer rejected my expense claim on account of not having the actual tickets for a train journey and boarding pass for a plane journey.

So.. what? I’m supposed to foot the bill myself because I don’t have the exact documentation you require? So what if I’ve lost it? I’m entitled to be re-imbursed, I’m pretty sure. I wasn’t going on **** holiday now was I?

GRRRR… Absolutely hopping mad and almost £500 out of pocket 🙁

bummer

Was it a self print ticket boarding pass email thing ?

If that’s the policy, and you knew that… Then I don’t see what the problem is.

if you have the transaction on your bank account then I don’t see why they can’t process it.

So.. what? I’m supposed to foot the bill myself because I don’t have the exact documentation you require?

Apparently, yes.

Well I didn’t receive any induction, training or information about expenses, but I reckon that’s not important. I’m out of pocket on YOUR business, you bloody well cough up. None of the sums of money involved are unreasonable and I’ve got colleages backing up where I was and how I travelled.

I sent them the e-ticket confirmation email and the train ticket confirmation purchase, both with values on.

I made a claim once worth a few hundred quid and £2 for strepsils was rejected, even with the receipt.. I hurt my voice on the trip and need to be able to speak.

Have they just rejected that particular claim with that set of paperwork or categorically stated they won’t refund you at all for that trip no matter what? Once is an inconvenience, the other is breach of contract…

They are asking for the actual ticket, which I don’t have, and the actual boarding pass, which I don’t have but I DID have it, and I’m positive I put it in the envelope.

I can’t re-get either of those two things.

we are supposed to present train tickets – but some barriers take them off you at the destination.

luckily are accounts dept pay on receipts even though terms say tickets.

Everywhere I’ve worked has always coughed up on these things in the end, usually when a credit card / bank statement is produced showing the payments.

I’m going to have words with my manager tomorrow, he’s a right anal git, so when he inevitably says ‘tough sht’ I’ll ask him for someone else to talk to.

I have no idea why they want the boarding pass stub for flights – that doesn’t have the fare on it.

union?

You’ve got a company grievance procedure – use it!

Complain that you have incurred expenses, they were authorised and provable, and that if they refuse to pay then in future you will refuse to travel on business without a company credit card – alternatively, you have made a claim, and unless they wish to discipline you for expenses fraud, they should pay it.

If you can prove the tickets were purchased (receipts) then that should be sufficient for tax evidence purposes. Most flights (here) i get on using my rfid tag so i don;t even get a boarding pass !

Zulu and capnJon are right – ask for clear reasoning, then escalate as needed.

Say you buy a 500quid train ticket, find a way to cancel subsequently and then drive to the destination. I’d imagine you’d be 400quid up if venue was in the UK. I guess that’d be why they want physical proof that you were on the train
(no idea if it’s possible for all or any trains, planes, limos or whatever but a fixed approach avoids uncertainty)

I had two refused by accountant HMRC seem to think e tickets can be knocked up in ms paint bank statement to corroborate did the trick.If it’s the company that employs you they might have a policy that outlines this so it’s worth at least asking.

Trip to Washington DC inc flights, hotels everything on corporate card. I bought a bottle of water in Heathrow and some sweets. They rejected it.

maybe they’ve realised how much work time you spend on a cycling forum?

Try asking him for the reason behind the decision as he might simply be following a badly written rule. Ask how he thinks it should be resolved, because clearly you were there, clearly you had travelled and clearly you need reimbursement.
Look at it from his side, 500 quid gone from the accounts without a receipt to balance the accounts…
Have you got credit/debit card bills?

+1 to DS’ comments.
Credit card bills can be used as proof of purchase, can’t remember exactly where I read it but I do remember seeing news showing it as a legal precedent. You need to stay calm but firm tommorow, you are in the right. good luck

if you have the transaction on your bank account then I don’t see why they can’t process it.

Yes. Clearly you took the flight, they can’t doubt that. But it’s not unreasonable to expect presentation of evidence for the claimed amount or you could be making it up. A bank or credit card statement should do it. Otherwise escalate it.

It does pay to be familiar with the expenses claims policies before spending any of your own money on your firm’s business.

Didn’t they send you ?
But can understand that without the tickets they can’t claim back neither

If you paid by credit card you can produce the statement has a bill for the
expenses, as the statement will show who credited from you.

Sounds well out of order when i consider how my expenses work.
WHo the hell would hold onto a boarding pass ???

Acas 08457 47 47 47. Always found them to be very helpful.

Mol they are being nobs!

Who’s your employer?

Sounds like your work are being complete idiots. If they treat their staff with so much contempt and suspision then I’d seriously think about changing jobs. There are much better employers out there – employers that actually support, value and respect their employees (firms that have cottoned on to the notion that a happy workforce is a productive workforce).

Same here. I did a week of work in a particular part of the country and lost the actual receipts. I had other paperwork and the non vat parts of the receipts but it’s no good.
No ticky no dollar.
But then I knew I’d not get my money back.

Being self employed for years in the past I can understand. Pretty sure the taxman would have rejected the claims without receipts, it’s no different for your company.

Had a claim for £18 (3 x off area daily food allowance, fully entitled too under T’s & C’s) bounced along with a £350 hotel bill. The reasoning was that until the £18 was explained they wouldn’t pay anything else on the expenses claim. Two months later got it sorted but that was the last time I ever spent anything on the company’s behalf.

I am surprised they are asking for a boarding pass as in most instances I would expect the expenses to need to be a receipt that shows VAT info. Certainly at our place we need to provide a receipt, not particularly as proof for work that we have incurred the expense but more for HMRC. And a whole expense claim should not be rejected just because one part of it is in breach / doubt.

Sounds bizarre. Agree with DS. I travel constantly and have never been asked to produce a boarding pass. The tax guys merely need proof of purchase.

Was the travel authorized in advance ? That’s the key IMO, if they were OK with you incurring the expenses (and understood the cost) then you get paid, period. If however you circumvented any pre-travel authorization requirements then it becomes more difficult…

a boarding pass ?

i cant remember the last time i got a boarding pass issued – we usually fly KLM or BA for work and i just check in through their app on my phone and they scan my phone going through – works wonderously !

I guess its easily settled by in future if your required to fly then work books the tickets – removes any future issues as well as your extended line of credit to them !

I would stick with “I put them in the envelope, you have lost them, I suggest you have a good hunt around your desk, now please pay me my £500 by the end of the week”.

And from now on use the Finance Dept to book all your travel, paid by them in advance. They will love that.

And from now on use the Finance Dept to book all your travel, paid by them in advance. They will love that.

This is what I do at work. I have a company card, but the process I need to go through to reconcile it is such a pain, i’d rather make it someone else’s pain and get finance to pay in advance…

Well I didn’t receive any induction, training or information about expenses, but I reckon that’s not important.

in the spirit of STW…

If i were about to spend £500 on works behalf, i would have a look at the policy before i did.

More helpfully, proof of the expense, or some kind of receipt should be adequate. The sticking point for us tends to be if we have the VAT number of not.

If they treat their staff with so much contempt and suspision then I’d seriously think about changing jobs

Aside from all the other administrative issues, this ^^^ is what is really annoying me. Not sure about moving jobs as it’s a good job for many reasons. But I wouldn’t mind moving teams to a different manger. There are two kinds of manager it seems. One is on your side, working to help you do your job; the other is on their side working for the big bosses.

If i were about to spend £500 on works behalf, i would have a look at the policy before i did

Good advice, but I’m a consultant, and my first day on the job was spent travelling. You’re supposed to use a company credit card for expenses but I didn’t have one at the time – it took about six weeks to come through.

Are you still permanent now molgrips, not contracting? – It’s your direct employer you’re invoicing I take it

The only, rather far fetched, idea I can come up with is that they want proof that you took the flight/train/class that you’re invoicing for- i.e. that you didn’t book a full price refundable or business/first fare, then cancel that and book a cheap replacement, but still invoice them for the full amount using bank statements or similar.

Been told about this happening, but I’ve no idea whether it would ever work or not- hearsay only.