Claiming for travel expenses

[Tassie]

Hiya
My father has dementia and I am trying to persuade him to move into a nursing home which he refuses he is also refusing any care at home. Everything is very difficult right now with him wandering and fire risks etc.
I live in the north of England and Dad lives in Devon. I am trying to visit as much as possible and help with cleaning, bills etc but I am unemployed and finding it too expensive to keep going.
I have POA for both health and welfare . If I claim travel expenses , do I just claim for the petrol used or can I claim so much a mile? Thank you.

 

[Jessbow]

Who are you hoping to claim from?

 

[nae sporran]

That is a hard situation Tassie. I'm not sure how or where you can claim travelling expenses, but was wondering if you had considered moving to your dad's even if temporarily and claiming Carers Allowance which is a bit less that Jobseekers admittedly.

 

[nitram]

For a definitive statement on what expenses, if any, you can claim ask the OPG

 

[LHS]

This is what it says in the government website on LPAs:

Expenses
You can claim expenses you’ve had while carrying out your duties as an attorney, for example:

• travel costs
• stationery
• postage
• phone call

Also the tax office provides a rate of 45p per mile up to 10,000 miles travel that employees can be paid without incurring any tax liability. I would say that you could use this as a guide.

 

[LHS]

I assume you will 'claim' money from your relatives bank account. I suggest keep clear records so you have evidence to justify your withdrawals.

 

[Tassie]

Who are you hoping to claim from?

Dads account

 

[Tassie]

I assume you will 'claim' money from your relatives bank account. I suggest keep clear records so you have evidence to justify your withdrawals.

yes I keep receipts for all

 

[Tassie]

This is what it says in the government website on LPAs:

Expenses
You can claim expenses you’ve had while carrying out your duties as an attorney, for example:

• travel costs
• stationery
• postage
• phone call

Also the tax office provides a rate of 45p per mile up to 10,000 miles travel that employees can be paid without incurring any tax liability. I would say that you could use this as a guide.

This is what it says in the government website on LPAs:

Expenses
You can claim expenses you’ve had while carrying out your duties as an attorney, for example:

• travel costs
• stationery
• postage
• phone call

Also the tax office provides a rate of 45p per mile up to 10,000 miles travel that employees can be paid without incurring any tax liability. I would say that you could use this as a guide.

 

[Tassie]

Hi thank you, yes I have seen the above . But having read previous threads here on this subject I am still unclear if I claim petrol receipt or 45p per mile as I am not an employee.

 

[Tassie]

Hiya, no it would not be possible to move nearer. I have my own family here.

 

[Duggies-girl]

Hiya, no it would not be possible to move nearer. I have my own family here.

Hi @Tassie I don't know the ins and outs of claiming expenses but my dad puts petrol in his car once a week. I have full use of it but only use it for running back and forward from mine to his so I think that is perfectly fair as I don't think that I should be out of pocket even more than I already am for looking after him. It's a mobility car so that is all he has to pay.

I have my own car for my own use.

I have POA but have not used it yet and hope not to so I don't keep receipts. Dad still keeps his own money in his own wallet and just gives me 20 pound for petrol. Same with his shopping, he will either come with me and pay himself or he will give me 20 or 30 pounds and I will go and get it for him. He spends very little so I don't worry about receipts. If it was a lot then I probably would.

 

[Louise7]

You say that your Dad is wandering and a fire risk. Trying to 'persuade' him to have carers or go into a care home isn't going to work. If you haven't already done so you should contact social services and let them know that your Dad is a vulnerable adult at risk of harm.

 

[karaokePete]

If your father needs you to attend on him for health and safety reasons I wonder if it would be worth claiming Attendance Allowance on his behalf as my understanding is that this can be spent on anything. The basic criteria for this allowance is mentioned on page 8 of the Factsheet that can be reached by clicking this link https://www.alzheimers.org.uk/media/1041

 

[Tassie]

You say that your Dad is wandering and a fire risk. Trying to 'persuade' him to have carers or go into a care home isn't going to work. If you haven't already done so you should contact social services and let them know that your Dad is a vulnerable adult at risk of harm.

He is well known to social services and is going into a home very soon.

 

[Tassie]

Hi @Tassie I don't know the ins and outs of claiming expenses but my dad puts petrol in his car once a week. I have full use of it but only use it for running back and forward from mine to his so I think that is perfectly fair as I don't think that I should be out of pocket even more than I already am for looking after him. It's a mobility car so that is all he has to pay.

I have my own car for my own use.

I have POA but have not used it yet and hope not to so I don't keep receipts. Dad still keeps his own money in his own wallet and just gives me 20 pound for petrol. Same with his shopping, he will either come with me and pay himself or he will give me 20 or 30 pounds and I will go and get it for him. He spends very little so I don't worry about receipts. If it was a lot then I probably would.

 

[Tassie]

Hiya, thanks for responding. Up to now I have paid myself but cannot do that anymore.

 

[Tassie]

If your father needs you to attend on him for health and safety reasons I wonder if it would be worth claiming Attendance Allowance on his behalf as my understanding is that this can be spent on anything. The basic criteria for this allowance is mentioned on page 8 of the Factsheet that can be reached by clicking this link https://www.alzheimers.org.uk/media/1041

He does have attendence allowance . Thank you I will read link.

 

[Sirena]

I don't know the exact rules but if I'd had to make special journeys to deal with my duties as an attorney I would have claimed whatever it cost me, whether that was a train ticket or a tank of petrol - I wouldn't have given it much more consideration than that. You are doing the journeys for his benefit, it's not a 'leisure visit'. Keep receipts but I doubt it will be questioned. I'm glad to hear he will soon be going into a care home, you'll know he's safe and no longer at risk.

 

[jugglingmum]

Re your petrol costs vs 45p a mile comment my take is that the guidance from HMRC is based on not making a profit ie up to 10,000 miles a year an employee is incurring extra wear and tear on their car, possibly paying to have business use on their insurance etc, so whilst not designed for this situation, I think that you should claim a sum above the petrol cost, and I don't think anyone could argue with using the HMRC guidance.

In my case my car does about 6,000 miles a year, when I was clearing my mum's house it was a 300 mile round trip so I did 2,000 miles extra that year, which will have brought forward my service requirement, and as you can see it added a significant amount to my annual mileage. I paid the HMRC mileage rate from mum's funds to myself.

As an aside about the move to a care home, if possible, please try and get him in a home near you, it will make your quality of life much better and not make any difference to your father's.