hi. I used to travel on bicycle to work, for about 30 weeks last tax year. I came across BIM47702 where it says I can claim £0.20 per mile for using pedal bike, it will work out about £750 for that period. just wondered if I can also claim cost of bike, maintenance, water proofs, lights, etc? it comes to about £1100. for rest of the year I was using public transport and was able to find receipts for about £800 I know I can claim public transport but what about the pedal bike? as I now have the bike I will be still using it when I get the chance, so money will no be wasted for it. thanks in advance

Hi there, sorry if this has been done already but I would like a comprehensive list of expenses that Self employed people can put towards offsetting their tax. Can Electricity, water, gas excetera be used? many thanks BB

Hi all, I am new to this so please bear with me. My wife & I are both unemployed and every two weeks we have to go to Working Links to search for jobs, (as though we don't do this every day at home). We have always had £6. traveling expenses paid to us, but since the middle of January we have to hand in a petrol VAT receipt to claim the £6 expenses. We have been told it has to be a VAT receipt so that they can claim the VAT, and if not we will not get our traveling expense. As we live in a remote area we are unable to use public transport and so have to go by car. Please can anyone confirm if this is correct or even legal for them to be claiming the VAT back?

Hi all, I notice Caggers referring to "Home expenses insurance" "Legal expenses insurance" quite frequently on here, yet very seldom do I read of success stories or even information/ tactics on dealing with the home insurance people/ claims handlers. These lot can be just as tricky to deal with as dealing with the respondents in the ET cases. It seems that the home insurance people are very rarely willing to payout for legitimate claims without a fight! An quite rightly so they are running a business and not a charity! Quick chronology: Back in May 2011 after two previous unsuccessful attempts I managed to get my my ET claim accepted by my home insurance policy. Great £50k cover or so I thought, I was given a fixed amount of £1500 to cover my claim, not so great. Nowhere in the policy was this stated. Major gripe and let down, hey ho better than nought! I ended up going with a terrible solicitor who completely was incompetent May 2012- ET claim lost: negligent solicitor and general frustrations of the trials and tribulations. June 2012- "Please, Legal expenses insurance people will you help with my subsequent request for review and appeal?" No was the response! I handled my appeal and review myself. Mainly with help from this forum! Sept 2012- Turns out the pivotal piece of info needed to cement my case was withheld by the respondent and surprise surprise after the Subject access request this documentation came to light. Dec 2012 onwards Respondents are still with-holding information with a forthcoming Oral hearing coming up. I imagine the ET senior judges, ET regional chairperson need to know about this? I have sent the withheld document and reasons as to why my claim is still good to the Legal expenses insurance people thinking great now they can help with my case as it proves the respondents have not come to the ET with clean hands. Wrong after two previous unsuccessful attempts the LEI people are still refusing to take on my case and help (which I am in need of) To make things worse the LEI people have a free legal helpline which I ring up. This advice line which provides free legal advice by trained/ and also qualified legal people. The whole time I call the free helpline I get great free, impartial advice similar to the forum and ever so encouraging when quoting the particulars of my case, yet, when I put my case forward and the info gleaned from the adviceline to the LEI, their panel barrister says the claim has no chance of success. a) how can one branch of the organisation say my case has success (the free impartial advice line) then when it comes to the crunch the other department handling the actual claim (LEI) refuse to take on the case (Pay out for representation) b) how come the LEI took on my case initially and now are refusing to give it a second look despite what the judgement says there is more evidence to forward my case. I realise they will do everthing to avoid paying out but why do I pay a premium for? Its for emergencies like this!!! c) as soon as I put the claim with the negligent solicitor forward to the panel (LEI) immediately they took on the case yet they are refusing to re-open my ET case which now has greater prospects of success than before and which they initially took on. d) It seems they are focusing on every negative thing that the judgement says and putting towards them not having to pay for my claim and then putting their heads in the sand when it comes to the need for re-addressing my case because of the respondent's non-compliance with a) the ET practice directions and b) the withholding of information Any advice/ help people. Looking to start the new year on a positive and hope the same to everyone on here who has been through the struggle. Happy new years wishes BB

Many of the several thousand Scottish homeowners taken to court for mortgage repossession over the last few years, have had their cases dismissed and then re-raised for technical reasons. Govan Law Centre believes they may have been unfairly charged twice for their lender's legal expenses along with additional administrative charges. GLC's Principal Solicitor, Mike Dailly said: "Where a lender has raised incompetent proceedings, or deserts those proceedings to re-raise again, how can they reasonably expect their customers to pay for being taken to court twice? We think passing on these repeat or double charges to Scottish consumers is clearly unfair in relation to the Financial Services Authority's (FSA) Principles of Business. The extra costs involved here add up to many millions of pounds which Scottish homeowners should not have to bear". The reclaim mini-site is available online here. Who pays for repossession actions dismissed and then re-raised? If you've been taken to court in Scotland for mortgage repossession, and your case was dismissed and then re-raised for technical reasons, you may have been charged twice for your lender's legal expenses, along with additional administrative charges. Lenders generally add their legal and enforcement costs onto a customer's mortgage. This free site explains how you can complain and try and get the costs - which can be several thousands pounds - refunded or deducted from your mortgage account and balance. In Scotland, several thousand cases have been affected by, or dismissed in light of, the UK Supreme Court decision in RBS v. Wilson [2010] UK SC 50, and GLC's case of NRAM v. Millar 2012 SLT (Sh Ct) 58. Sometimes lenders have chosen to dismiss proceedings to avoid any potential competency challenges, and then re-raised them in court. However, all of this work has to paid for by someone, and we don't think it's fair you are charged twice!

Former Labour minister Denis MacShane is facing suspension from the Commons for 12 months. A Parliamentary committee found he had submitted 19 false invoices which were "plainly intended to deceive" Parliament's expenses authority. More:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-20178332 I bet they will still call him "My right honourable friend" in Westminister....

Hi all, I wonder if anyone can help-we have a trespass dispute with neighbour already going on 3 yrs. despite having favourable surveyors report and barristers opinion our solicitor selected by insurers from their panel seems to use every excuse not to issue proceedings. My understanding is that they have to fund everything that goes on from their taking on my case and its resolution. We are at a loss as to how we exert pressure on our solicitor-who by the way seem very bright but seems to be restrained we think financially from getting on with this matter.We would welcome any comments from members who have had the same experience. Regards to all members

I don't know if anyone can help me out, I am on a programme with Ingeus at the moment called the CAP (community action programme) and I was told they would reimburse me my travel expenses. As I drive to and from my volunteering position I was told I could claim back my mileage at 20p per mile, But I have just found out that the minimum the government says to pay it 45p per mile, Has anyone else had this problem? as I want to know if I can Claim back previously owed mileage and make them pay the 45p per mile. Thanks for your time Gary

Hi, Just a quick one wondering does anyone know if this is lawful- I requested an invoice that the claimant mentioned in his POS as the invoice amount seemed like a higher figure than I was aware of - he has sent the invoice after I requested it using the very helpful request template on this website CPR 31.14 however he has added $400 for 'debt collection' onto the invoic hence the higher figuree- can he do this? it just sounds totally trumped up

Hi I am a contractor and I work self employed. I travel around the country visiting various work sites which usually means I have to stay in accommodation for that week. I worked mainly in Swansea for just under a year, travelling from my home address which is also my buisness address at weekends. The tax man is not allowing my mileage claim from my home address to the work site in Swansea then returning to my home address, staying in temporary accomodation through the week. He is saying that the travel fom my home address and work site then back again are personal miles. I am disputing this saying I would not be travelling these miles if it wasnt for my work so all the miles are buisness miles. He is allowing the miles between my temporary accommodation and work. Is he right to disallow these miles

Hi, I have recently finished working for an employer based 200 miles from my home where I worked as a remote worker. I was asked to return my company car which I did and at the same time submitted my final expenses claim included my train ticket home at £82.20. I have since heard from my line manager who says it is company policy not to fund return travel after cars are dropped off - nothing she can do. I had no knowledge of this and submitted the claim in good faith as an "expense incurred as part of my employment" as outlined in my contract. Can they do this? Do I have any legal stance from which do dispute this policy? Thanks in advance for any advice.

My p.a over the past 18 month has submitted my expenses incorrectly. In essence she has taken my receipts and submitted them multiple times as well as using the incorrect mileage allowance for my mileage expenses. I have agreed to pay back this overpayment but now is where the fun begins. It is being implied (in writing) by a representative of the company that I have done something underhand - I have told them that this is defamation unless they have documented proof to substantiate their case. They are telling me that the 'expense policy says that all expenses are my responsibility' but I have not been on any internal training course nor accepted any expense policy other than in my standard terms and conditions of employment. The above way of working is common across the organisation. A representative of the company is now saying my secretary will have her approval to submit claims on my behalf, that another p.a I use can only load an expense for me and that I am the only person who can submit the claim. This is only for me - no other employee I have told this person I feel that a case is being constructed against me. That this process reaffirms the 'underhand' allegation and that if they wish to document any case, I will formally respond via a solicitor. If they are not able to do this I have asked for an apology, assurance that there is no case being constructed and that the policy change is implemented across the organisation not just against me. HELP - I don't know what to do as my health due to stress and anxiety is starting to suffer.