What will I get if I claim mileage and how should I claim?

If a member of staff is unable to use a fleet vehicle or Fleet are unable to source a vehicle for them Journeys of up to 100 miles round trip may be undertaken in own vehicle without prior authorisation. (However it should be noted that a breakeven cost for a hire car is £30.24, therefore at 67+ miles a hire car becomes the most cost effective method).

For journeys over 100 miles round trip, prior authorisation to use your own vehicle must be obtained by email from the relevant budget holder or line manager. 

Wherever possible journey distances should be calculated using RAC route finder or an equivalent. Where multiple destinations are involved and the use of RAC route finder is not appropriate, the member of staff travelling should record the start and end mileage in order to calculate the distance travelled. 

Where a journey starts or terminates from home, only the additional miles travelled to those usually travelled, to get to the usual place of duty, can be claimed. Calculations should be as follows: 

Mileage for return journey, less mileage usually travelled, to get to and from usual place of duty = total mileage claim  

Mileage claimed must be for a direct route unless there is a valid reason for taking a longer route – in which case the reason must be stated on the claim. 

Staff who use their own vehicle for business mileage must ensure that their vehicle is correctly taxed, fully comprehensively insured with the appropriate business use cover, hold a current MOT certificate (if required) and be maintained to legislative and manufacturers standards. The member of staff must hold a full current driving license. Failure to comply with these requirements is likely to result in disciplinary action. The Force will have the right to undertake spot checks for compliance purposes and staff may be required to produce copies of all relevant documents.

 The Force does not provide breakdown cover for private vehicles used for business use. 

To comply with European Commission regulations, all staff that use their own vehicle for Force business and claim mileage will need to supply VAT fuel receipts dated on or before the date of the journey. 

Staff may only claim for journeys between their home and usual place of duty when called out after completion of a normal tour of duty. ‘On-call’ staff who use their own vehicle may claim from home to place of incident. 

Travel claims must be submitted to the Finance Department by the 4th of the month.