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FRC Travel and Expenses Policy

Document Responsibilities

Document Control

Role title	Name
Finance Director	Tara Trousdale
Financial Controller	Tulsee Rughoobur
Revenue Manager	Dina Bhudia

Document Location

https://intranet.frc.org.uk/need-to-know/policies-and-procedures

Risk Category (only include a second risk category where appropriate)

Policy	Financial

Version

Version	Date Published	Review Due	Change Description
5	October 2024	October 2025	Fifth Version

1 Introduction

This Policy sets out the FRC's principles and requirements for claiming travel and other expenses incurred by staff and others engaged by the FRC in connection with the discharge of their FRC responsibilities. It applies to all Financial Reporting Council (FRC) staff and non-executives, including the Board, and Committees members. This policy is consistent with the principles set out in the HM Treasury's guidance on Managing Public Money.

The FRC is committed to reimburse individuals for justifiable additional costs that have actually been incurred and are deemed necessary while undertaking FRC business.

It is the responsibility of everyone making a claim or approving a claim, as part of their line management responsibilities, to familiarise themselves with this Policy as well as other FRC policies in ensuring compliance with the policies at all times.

With regard to what and how much is being claimed, and related record-keeping and authorisation, any failure to comply with the Policy may result in disciplinary proceedings being brought against individuals, which, in extreme circumstances, may result in dismissal.

If, as an approving manager or individual making a claim, you are uncertain over whether you should be making or approving a claim, or are unclear on some aspect of this policy, please ask the Finance Director for clarification.

Principles

The FRC does not authorise advanced payment of expenses.

Where there is an exception to this Policy, individuals should complete an Exception Form and seek prior approval from the Finance Director before committing to the costs. They should then attach the approved Exception form with the relevant receipts when making their claim.

Before anyone commits the FRC to expenditure under this Policy, they have a duty to consider the following questions:

Do I have to make this journey at all?
Do I need to attend the meeting in person, or can the work in question be taken forward by video conference or teleconference?
If I must travel, how can I maximise the business benefits of this journey – for example, can I schedule other meetings with colleagues at that location on the same day?

All travel bookings should be booked through the FRC's Travel Business Partner – Corporate Travel Management (CTM), https://ccsportal.ctmnorth.co.uk/ Tel: 01274 726 424.

Email The Travel Team: [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected].

If an individual becomes aware that a better price is available outside the system, they should make this known to CTM.

Individuals should book the most efficient journey considering their time, ticket costs and method of travel. Generally, it offers better value for money to purchase non-flexible tickets for set time travel (e.g. rail tickets or advanced hotel bookings). Where a reasonable degree of uncertainty exists, either on timing or occurrence, individuals should ensure that travel tickets and hotel bookings are refundable.

Individuals must claim expenses within one month of incurring the costs, but it is best practice to always make the claim as soon as possible. Where individuals are making a claim for an expense that is older than 30 days, an explanation should be provided in the claim. All expenses should be accompanied by receipts and where specific exceptions exist; an exception form needs to be obtained as above. Always seek to book your journey at the earliest possible opportunity to take advantage of cheaper tickets.

The FRC never intends for an individual to be out of pocket because of official business. Compliance with this policy ensures that people are reimbursed the costs they have properly incurred. In the event that expenses are not specifically covered by this policy, the FRC Accounting Officer and the Finance Director may jointly authorise expenditure to be reimbursed if they are satisfied that the expenses were properly incurred during the line of business and were unavoidable.

2 Responsibilities

This section explains who and what activities fall under the policy.

There are certain responsibilities for both claimants and Line Managers authorising expense claims.

2.1 As Line Manager and Expense Approver

Budget Holders, and Line Managers must only commit expenditure from within their division's budgets, not those of others. Expense Approvers have a responsibility to check and approve expenses incurred by individuals and in signing an expense claim they are certifying that the expenses are:

compliant with this Policy and other FRC policies.
properly incurred in the line of FRC business.
due for reimbursement;
evidenced by itemised receipts, except where specific exceptions apply.

An Expense Approver's signature certifies that the claim has been reasonably checked for fraud or misappropriation. If an Expense Approver suspects a claim is fraudulent but do not wish to alert the claimant, they should immediately raise the concerns with the FRC Finance Director and/or seek GCT's advice. For further guidance regarding suspected fraud, please find the FRC Fraud Response Plan here.

2.2 As Claimant

Individuals must always ensure that their expense claims are:

Incurred within the line of business;
Free from fraud
Within the letter and spirit of this FRC policy
Supported by receipts except where specific exceptions apply; and
Paid and where they identify any erroneous under or overpayments, they should inform the Finance Team as soon as they become aware of them;

3 Accommodation

If you are required as part of your FRC duties to stay overnight prior to, or after, a meeting that is a significant distance from your home, or work, you may make a claim for accommodation costs.

3.1 Hotels

Hotels should be booked through CTM. The following nightly rates should be used as a guide, but may be exceeded if the personal security is at risk:

London and international: £200
Elsewhere (UK): £150

An Exception form should be completed before the booking is made, and approval sought where nightly rates exceed the limits stated above. Individuals should ensure the hotel that they book is of a suitable standard while travelling on FRC business. This should include due consideration for personal safety. A guide for hotel standards is as follows:

Hotel should be a minimum 3* rating.
En-suite facilities including shower or bath.
Bed & Breakfast (BB) and Room Only (RO) board basis available.
Rooms guaranteed for late arrival.
City hotels should have good access to public transport and/or be close to meeting venues.
Hotels should be in a safe area, particularly overseas where there are FCDO/Embassy recommendations.

If an individual arrives late, the hotel should have provision to provide a hot meal. Free cancellation up to 2pm on Day of Arrival for most bookings is preferred (however, some properties will require a longer cancellation notice period).

If the hotel does not provide the 'bill back' service claimants may claim with supporting receipts.

Staying with Family and Friends

If you are able to stay with family or a friend rather than a hotel, compensation payments are limited to subsistence claims for meals only.

3.2 Accommodation Provided as Part of a Contract

Accommodation provided as part of an employment contract is considered a Benefit in Kind by HMRC. Payments of this type must be made through payroll as part of staff remuneration with appropriate deductions for PAYE and NI.

3.3 Incidental Expenditure

Staying overnight in a hotel or away from home may prevent undertaking activities or services you would normally undertake at home, such as laundry or Wi-Fi. To compensate, up to £10 a day may be claimed, where supported by receipts.

4 Air Travel

Air travel makes a significant contribution to climate change and can be more expensive than surface travel. Limiting air travel is key to the FRC sustainability strategy and managing our carbon footprint. Employees must carefully consider the need, the full cost (including travel between airports and offices) and the travel alternatives before booking flights.

Air miles and similar benefits earned through business travel should not be used for private purposes. If you are in receipt of air miles or other frequent flyer scheme rewards earned for business travel, your points can be used towards part of the cost of the business travel or to "purchase" enhanced facilities such as seat upgrades and, as a member of such a scheme, you may also use certain facilities such as special departure lounges and priority booking arrangements.

4.1 Domestic (UK) Air travel

Within the UK, the FRC encourages rail travel wherever practical, due to its lower environmental impact. However, if other factors, such as time and cost, are judged to outweigh the environmental benefits, then domestic air travel is acceptable. Individuals should travel economy class unless there are reasonable adjustment reasons, such as disability, that make this inappropriate. An Exception Form should be completed for any non-economy class UK air travel and be approved by the Finance Director before any booking is made.

4.2 International Air Travel

To determine what class of ticket you may purchase, follow the guidance below:

If the flight is less than 3.5hrs only an economy ticket is permitted (subject to "reasonable adjustment" for a known disability under the Equality Act or a temporary condition).
If the flight is greater than 3.5hrs but less than 5.5hrs, a premium economy ticket may be claimed (subject to "reasonable adjustment as above).
If the flight is greater than 5.5hr (intercontinental) a business class ticket may be claimed.
Individuals who can purchase a business class or premium economy ticket more cheaply than an economy ticket for the same journey may travel in the higher class. A copy of CTM's price comparisons must be attached and submitted with the long haul travel requisition form.

For all long-haul journeys, it is expected that the airline chosen will be the most cost-effective option. A long-haul travel requisition form will need to be completed and authorised before the booking is confirmed by one ExCo member and the Finance Director. The FRC recognises that long air journeys across time zones can negatively affect efficiency, judgement and concentration. Individuals are not expected to start work immediately following such a journey. You are allowed a period to acclimatise after journeys greater than 3.5hrs. The long haul travel requisition form must be completed and authorised before a booking is made.

As noted above, individuals with a health condition who are unable to secure suitable facilities in economy or premium economy class may travel business class. Approval for booking business class travel in these circumstances should be sought from the Finance Director prior to making the booking.

5 Rail Travel (Incl. Transport for London and Eurostar)

Rail travel is FRC's preferred method of transport due to the options available for cheap advanced tickets, journey comfort for staff and having a relatively low environmental impact compared with other forms of transport.

5.1 Oyster Journeys (TfL)

Individuals who make regular trips to or around London should use an Oyster card or contactless payment method.

If using a personal 'pay as you go' Oyster card for business travel, you should only claim for the cost of the actual journey and not the round sum you may have paid to top up. Journey statements confirming the route and cost are available by registering your Oyster card. The statement can be submitted with the claim for reimbursement.

Transport for London offer 'contactless payment' in place of an Oyster card. You can create an account http://www.tfl.gov.uk/fares-and-payments/contactless and register your debit/credit card or link a debit/credit card to your current Oyster account. Journey statements will be available and can be submitted with the claim for reimbursement.

If you purchase an Oyster travel card, for a week, month or year, as part of your journey to and from work, only journey expenses above the cost of the travel card will be reimbursed (these journeys will be charged to your card as part of 'pay as you go').

The FRC will not reimburse the cost of ordinary commuting or any journey to an alternative place of work which is substantially the same as your ordinary commute, e.g., within the same Travel Zone band. With hybrid working arrangements at the FRC, the FRC will not make an exception to this policy because of your working pattern.

5.2 Eurostar

When travelling by Eurostar, you should travel standard class and book in advance where possible. You should balance the purchase of non-flexible tickets with the likelihood of the meeting being cancelled. Eurostar offer Standard, Standard Premier and Business Premier ticket classes and prices vary with demand for the service. The most economical tickets should always be purchased, therefore Standard premier and Business Premier may be purchased if they are cheaper than the Standard class fare with prior approval from the Finance Director.

5.3 Other Rail Travel

Individuals should book a ticket that offers a refund in the event of business meeting cancellation, or anytime open tickets. While cheaper tickets for set times may be booked, individuals should be satisfied that meetings are very unlikely to be cancelled and that the savings secured more than balance any increased risk of wasted expenditure.

Individuals should always seek to book standard class rail travel for trips that are 4 hours or less.

By exception first class travel is also permitted where the FRC is satisfied that the trip is longer than 4 hours and one of the following applies:

it would constitute a "reasonable adjustment” for a known disability under the Equality Act
a temporary "reasonable adjustment” is required e.g., due to injury or pregnancy related illness.
if there is no standard class available, but the trip is essential.
there are justified concerns about security; and/or
this is necessary to support a stakeholder who is travelling first class.

Approval for booking first class travel should be sought from the Finance Director prior to making the booking.

6 Subsistence

Subsistence is provided for everyone working away from home where there is no reasonable opportunity to cook meals as normal. Rates for breakfast, lunch and dinner are shown as benchmarks that everyone should always seek to meet or spend less than. The FRC recognises that this is not always possible and Line Managers should judge the reasonableness of claims with supporting receipts.

The FRC will reimburse the cost of food and non-alcoholic drinks during business trips as part of subsistence, subject to rules in this Policy. This Policy ensures that FRC's reputation is protected by having clear guidance on acceptable expenditure.

As a rule, alcoholic drinks are NOT permitted as a reimbursable expense by the FRC, unless you get prior authorization from your Finance Director that such a claim would be acceptable because of an exceptional circumstance.

6.1 Breakfast (early start from home)

The FRC recognises that individuals will sometimes leave their home earlier than normal to travel to different offices for meetings (i.e., not their normal place of work or other FRC offices) rather than staying overnight. Receipted claims, using a benchmark of £10, may be made where staff have travelled for more than 90 minutes to the meeting.

6.2 Breakfast (after overnight stay)

When staying overnight in a hotel, standard breakfast costs in that hotel may be significantly higher than the £10 benchmark rate. You should ensure the breakfast costs are always included in the final invoice, either for reimbursement, or direct bill back to the FRC.

6.3 Lunch

Individuals who are absent from their normal place of work (office or home based) to attend a meeting or other business-related event may claim lunch allowance. However, if staff are asked to come to other FRC/UKEB offices, claiming for lunch will not be allowed. The only exception to this rule is if the claimant had to stay overnight in a hotel on the day before. The benchmark for maximum lunch claims is set at £10. Claims must be supported with receipts.

6.4 Evening Meals

Dinner, or evening meal, allowance may be claimed when staying overnight on FRC business (coinciding with a hotel booking unless personal arrangements have been made).

A benchmark dinner expense of no more than £30 per night may be claimed by staff who are absent from home overnight on FRC business. Claims must be supported with detailed/ itemised receipts.

The benchmark amount stipulated above (lunch and evening meals) is expected to be sufficient for costs across the UK and for most UK cities. However, the FRC recognises that greater costs are sometimes unavoidable e.g. due to higher living costs in some countries. These should be receipted, and your Line Manager should consider their reasonableness, including the cost of living of the place where they were incurred, when authorising your claim.

6.5 Gratuities on Meals, Taxis and Subsistence

Where gratuities are included and a recognised element of the cost of service, for example taxis and restaurants, a reasonable cost may be claimed. Reasonable costs in the UK are not expected to exceed 12.5% of the total cost relating to that expense (taxi journey or meal). Costs incurred in other countries should be judged by what is judged reasonable in that city or country.

6.6 Subsistence while Staying with Relatives

If you make your own accommodation arrangements e.g. with friends or relatives, you may claim up to £5 for lunch and up to £15 for an evening meal. Where receipts are not available, approval should be sought from your Line Manager.

6.7 Subsistence while Travelling Overseas

If you are travelling overseas and staying in a country where prices are higher, consideration will be given to pricing, so long as the meal is considered appropriate and not excessive in nature.

7 Car and Motorbike Travel

Unless travelling as part of a group, car travel is not a favoured form of transport by the FRC. Business mileage refers to journeys undertaken by individuals during their work, excepting an individual's normal commute.

7.1 Taxi

The use of licensed taxis is permissible where:

Lone, or a small group of, officials feel more secure than taking public transport,
this is an appropriate reasonable adjustment, or;
it is the most economical transport available considering journey time or number of travellers.
Platform-based licensed private vehicle hire services and licensed mini-cab services can be used.
All claims for taxis must be submitted with a full explanation as to why a taxi was used instead of public transport.

Unlicensed mini-cab services are not permitted on security grounds and claims should not be authorised by Line Managers.

7.2 Own Car

Individuals should balance the cost against the benefit of using their own car or public transport use, taking into account possible fatigue from driving. Individuals may use their own car in situations where this provides them with a reasonable adjustment. Individuals travelling by car are expected to share the journey with other staff where convenient for efficiency. A supplement is payable per passenger.

The FRC will pay the prevailing (2023/24) HMRC reimbursement rates for journeys. These are currently:

45p per mile for the first 10,000 miles per year; and
25p per mile for mileage above 10,000 miles per year.
5p per mile for passenger supplement.

You are responsible for the good working order of your car, compliance with MOT regulations, and suitable insurance for work purposes. Basic insurance may not cover work-related travel, so please check your policy details before undertaking a journey on FRC business. Third Party, Fire and Theft insurance is not considered sufficient by FRC for business-related journeys. The FRC does not reimburse the cost of additional insurance.

Individuals are responsible for compliance with road traffic laws and regulations. The FRC will not refund traffic or parking fines or penalties of any sort. Individuals found guilty of breaking road traffic laws while driving on official business may be subject to disciplinary proceedings.

7.3 Hire Car

Where travelling by car is the most economical travel method, hire cars are permitted. Individuals may use a hire car in situations where this provides them with a reasonable adjustment. Car hire is normally conducted on a bill back basis to the FRC. Therefore, claims should, in general not be made. In the absence of a hire company bill back service quotations for costs should be approved by the Finance Director before committing expenditure.

Costs are reimbursed on the basis of the invoice from the hire company and any fuel receipts (as opposed to mileage rates) specifically related to your journey.

The FRC will not reimburse any penalties or charges relating to traffic offences and parking penalties, including any related administrative charges levied by the hire car company.

7.4 Motorbike

Costs for work travel by motorbike are claimable. The prevailing (2023/24) HMRC reimbursement rates that will be paid for journeys made are currently:

24p per mile.

7.5 Bicycle

Costs for business travel by bicycle are claimable. Protective head gear must be worn, and individuals must be aware that they are using their own bicycle at their own risk (the FRC may not be held responsible for compensation for theft while on business travel). The prevailing (2023/24) HMRC reimbursement rates that will be paid for journeys made are:

20p per mile.

7.6 Tolls, Ferry Costs, Parking and Congestion Charge

Receipted costs for ferries, and tolls bridges and roads unavoidably incurred during your business journey may be claimed. Reasonable parking charges may be claimed. Receipted congestion charges unavoidably incurred on your business journey may be claimed.

8 Working Lunch and Official Business Entertainment

FRC differentiates a 'working lunch' from subsistence provided while working away from your normal office and home.

8.1 Lunch with external business

It is a recognised business practice to provide lunches for meetings with external parties that run over the lunch period where there is a clear benefit to the FRC. However, this should be balanced with the principles of this Policy. Expenditure should always be justifiable and modest, for example, sandwich lunches.

Individuals should refer to and comply with the FRC's Code of Conduct. Claims for working lunches or the provision of refreshments will only be allowed if ALL the following circumstances are met:

People are working through lunch, or meeting over lunch as part of official FRC business.
The meeting includes external guests.
The lunch must take place as a necessary component of a meeting for the purpose of official business that has a total duration in excess of two hours and with external guests in attendance. External guests do not include FRC officials or other public servants.
No alcoholic beverages should be paid for from FRC funds.

8.2 Lunch for FRC staff

Lunch may be provided for individuals if ALL the following circumstances are met:

They are working during lunch as part of an FRC management meeting or training event.
The meeting covers the majority of the period between 1200 and 1400hrs.
The meeting is more than two hours.
Any beverages provided must be non-alcoholic.
The circumstances for providing lunch are exceptional, not routine.

If these points are met and you have written approval from your Line Manager in advance, then a modest lunch may be provided. This will normally be only when some attendees have travelled, or there is some other constraint making it impractical to include a break for attendees to provide their own lunch.

8.3 Awaydays

All external away day venues need to be booked through Calders via the Head of Facilities – [email protected]. Although a budget might have been allocated for awaydays, the nature of the activity needs to be in line with Managing Public Money Principles and not be contentious. If the budget holder is planning to give away prizes, name tags, stationery, these need to be ordered through Facilities prior to the event.

8.4 Official Entertainment

Entertainment at public expense is naturally a very delicate subject and staff must always take care to ensure that their actions do not leave the FRC open to criticism. The facility to provide official entertainment should be used sparingly.

Expenditure should be kept as low as possible, compatible with the occasion and standing of the guests. Hospitality at public expense normally takes the form of lunch or dinner; casual drinks do not qualify for reimbursement. Only functions with external guests present and where no conflict exist (e.g. audit firm employees) qualify for reimbursement. FRC staff in attendance at lunches or dinner should be dependent on a necessary business requirement to attend and there should be no element of reward in staff attending a function.

Careful consideration should be given to the choice of venue in terms of propriety. The number of FRC staff in attendance must not exceed the number of visiting guests. The amount that will be reimbursed to Directors (Executive & Level 6 only) extending hospitality to official guests is subject to a limit of:

£25 per head for lunch;
£40 per head for dinner; and
The cost of any alcoholic drinks cannot be reclaimed.

9 Cancellation or Postponement of Annual Leave

In the event that your manager specifically requires your expertise for urgent, unforeseen work that conflicts with pre-agreed and pre-booked holiday as part of annual leave, you may be entitled to reclaim the costs you have suffered from the FRC.

This provision extends only to actual, non-refundable costs incurred and is not intended to be used to compensate staff for inconvenience or to pay the salary equivalent of annual leave.

Prior to any decision to cancel leave, approval must be given in writing by a member of ExCo. Expenses, claims must only be made retrospectively, and accompanied by suitable original third-party documentation.

For the avoidance of doubt, the full direct costs that result from holiday cancellation may be reclaimable, for instance if flights were not flexible. Such circumstances are expected to be truly exceptional and therefore managers are required to demonstrate that there was no management failing. The following steps should be taken.

A full cost breakdown (third party documentation) of the losses that would be incurred through cancellation must be presented to an ExCo member prior to a decision being made.

ExCo members should be presented with a timeline for annual leave approval, request and deadline for work. The ExCo member should be satisfied that there was no management failing before approving any claim.

The ExCo member's approval to cancel and reimburse must be provided in writing prior to any decision being taken.

10 Additional Claims for Travelling Overseas

10.1 Overseas Travel Insurance

FRC provides Corporate Travel Insurance for individuals travelling overseas, so claims for personal travel insurance are not normally reimbursed. Employees are expected to check the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) for travel advice before making any travel arrangements. Some high-risk countries may require additional insurance and Finance and IT should be informed well in advance.

10.2 Medical Travel Insurance

The FRC's Travel Insurance policy should meet the costs of emergency medical treatment if you are injured or fall ill.

FRC travel insurance is provided by Chubb. For assistance, please call on +44 (0)20 7173 7796 and follow the instructions on the assistance line. FRC policy number: UKBBBO53708

10.3 Healthcare Prior to Travel

Vaccinations for travelling overseas should be advised by the BUPA Health Assessment Team. Staff should contact BUPA directly on: 0345 600 5992. The FRC account number is: 905460 (please quote this when you arrange an appointment).

10.4 Passport Costs

Individuals travelling overseas must have a valid passport. In the rare event that staff do not have and have never owned a full UK Passport, the costs associated with issuing a new passport may be claimed from the FRC. Approval is required before entering into, or committing to this process, from the Finance Director.

Individuals who are not UK nationals are responsible for ensuring their passport is up to date and valid.

10.5 Visa Fees

In the event that individuals are travelling to a country that requires a visa with an associated cost, claims for reimbursement may be made. If individuals require a visa to work at the FRC, all arrangements and costs relating to extension must be arranged directly with HR and not claimed through personal expenses.

11 Other Expense Claims

11.1 Additional Costs for Out of Hours Working

In exceptional circumstances you may be asked to complete work by your Line Manager at short notice and with a short time frame, outside your team's core hours. Normally core hours for this purpose are considered to be 7am to 8pm. Prior to commencing the work you should discuss with your Line Manager any additional costs that you are likely to incur as direct result of the line management request. Examples include additional childcare, taxi fare home, or evening meals. Your Line Manager may then consider the cost-benefit of their request made to you and provide authorisation to you in writing (email is sufficient). Individuals should include this authorisation in their claim along with receipts.

11.2 Publications

Publications and periodicals are expected to be purchased by teams within the FRC through normal purchasing procedures rather than expenses. Therefore, it is not expected that individuals will need to claim for these expenses.

11.3 Official Gifts

If there is a need to purchase an official gift, in line with FRC Code of Conduct (for example, reciprocal gifts as part of cultural exchange), these may be claimed through expenses. Written prior approval should be sought from the FRC Finance Director or appropriate ExCo member. Gifts for colleagues as part of occasions, such as leaving, sickness or parenthood, do not qualify. These should be funded through collections/donations with other colleagues.

11.4 Compensation for Loss of or Damage to Personal Property

The FRC has a specific clear desk policy and a claims procedure for loss or damage to personal property. Where individuals have suffered a loss or damage they should report this to the Finance Director and follow procedure for reclaiming their loss. The following is a summary of the claim guidance:

'Accidents happen and the fact that you are at work, on official duty away from the office or travelling to or from work when you experience loss or damage to your property is not sufficient reason to expect the FRC to compensate you.'

'In some cases, the FRC may have a legal liability to compensate for loss or damage to officers' personal property. The Crown Proceedings Act 1947 puts the FRC to all intents and purposes in the same legal position as a private employer. Each case will be examined on its merits and you should be aware that, as a rule, there is no liability on the FRC to: - prevent theft of an officer's personal property or - to compensate in respect of losses or damage due to defective furniture or locks if the defect is known to a member of staff who is expected to exercise reasonable care.'

Whether there is a legal liability to pay or not, the FRC may at its discretion make compensatory payment to an officer whose personal property - other than luxury items (e.g. jewellery) - is lost or damaged during the course of employment.'

11.5 Miscellaneous Office Expenses

The FRC provides all the necessary stationery and printing required to undertake FRC work activities. Employees are NOT expected to buy consumables for example, stationery, printing cartridges, paper, etc.

If it is necessary to contract printing work to other companies this should be completed in line with the FRC procurement policy. If printing is required at home, or away from the office (normal place of work) costs for printing will be reimbursed with suitable receipts up to £20 per calendar month.

11.6 IT equipment and computer/ phone accessories

Employees should NOT buy any additional IT equipment peripherals, for example, bluetooth headsets, mouse, keyboards, adaptors, etc. If you have any specific requirement, you need to speak to the FRC IT or Finance team. We will assess your request and ensure that the equipment we provide is safe and in line with DSE regulation and is value for money.

Employees that have an FRC business phone are allowed to buy a screen protector and case and claim for up to a value of £20.

11.7 Eye Test and Glasses

All staff are covered by the Display Screen Equipment (DSE) Regulations 1992 and its subsequent amendments. It is the FRC's policy to comply with the law with regard to eye and eyesight testing, which comes under these Regulations.

The FRC will reimburse once every two years for employees to have their eye and eyesight tests by a qualified optometrist and/or optician and will contribute up to a maximum of £30.

In addition, the FRC will contribute towards the cost of normal spectacle lenses (including bifocals and excluding frame) if a change of prescription is recommended by the optometrist and/or optician and is required for working with your display screen equipment. This contribution will be limited to £90 or the cost of the spectacle lenses, whichever is the lesser amount.

The FRC will pay towards the full cost specialist glasses (including frame) where the DSE assessment team have assessed that normal glasses cannot be used.

11.8 Professional Subscriptions

For all permanent employees, the FRC will pay for a subscription or annual fee to professional bodies or associations of which they are a member. It will be at your line manager's discretion to consider if the membership is relevant to your role. You may claim for the subscription fee if you have already paid for it. The Finance Team usually send an email to complete a subscription renewal form for ICAEW subscriptions and a bulk payment is made in November/December. For temporary staff (less than 6 months) and those who are under notice of termination, given or received, the FRC will not contribute to the cost of their professional subscription.

11.9 DSE approved workstation

To support hybrid working arrangements employees can purchase a home office chair, if needed, and reclaim the costs through WebExpenses. Expense claims for a chair will be capped at £150, although employees are free to buy more expensive ones at their own cost. This claim can only be made once every 5 years. The chair will belong to the employee and the FRC is not responsible for the maintenance or repair of the chair. This is a taxable expense and an adjustment will be made through the payroll to account for the tax and NI due on the payment.

In order to be eligible to make this claim you need to have completed your online DSE assessment and the chair should have the features listed below:

Adjustable height, back and tilt
Lumber support
Swivel mechanism and castors or glides
Upholstery that is sufficiently supportive and comfortable
Edges that do not put uncomfortable pressure on the thighs.
Armrests that allow the user to bring the chair far enough.

There are also a number of resources available on the agile working group page of the intranet.

11.10 Any other claims

Where staff are not sure about their claim, please contact the Finance team to get confirmation whether they can proceed with their claim.

12 Travel costs to FRC offices (Birmingham/London)

12.1 Base office

Your usual place of work is called a 'permanent' place of work or base office, for tax purposes. The FRC has two offices - one in London and one in Birmingham. Sometimes from time to time, staff may be requested to travel to an FRC office that is not their base office and the following is a guidance on what is allowed/not allowed to be claimed as business expense.

12.2 Home to work travel

The HMRC tax rules say that travel from home to a permanent work place is not an allowable expense for tax purposes. By contrast, travel from home to a temporary workplace is an allowable expense. A workplace is a temporary workplace if an employee goes there only to perform a task of limited duration or for a temporary purpose. Therefore, if you are travelling to an FRC office that is not your base office, you can claim for the train tickets you have purchased or for mileage allowance if you are driving. Staff are advised to use the FRC Travel business partner, CTM, to book their train tickets in advance to keep the costs low.

Whether you are using CTM or booking train tickets directly, you should book set time tickets. If you are travelling to meet external stakeholders and there is a serious possibility that the meeting might overrun, then you can, if you judge it necessary, book (or ask CTM to book) an open ticket, but this should be the exception rather than standard practice.

12.3 Other claims while travelling to an FRC office

Claims for parking when commuting to your base office are not allowed. However, if you are travelling to your non-base office and must take the train from a station other than the one you use for your daily commute, parking claims will be allowed.

Staff should not be out of pocket if we are requesting them to come to a place other than their base office.

Claim for travel for an away day will be allowed if the venue is in a different city to their base office.

12.4 Permanent places of work

If a staff is required to work for two consecutive days to an FRC office that is not their base office, they will be allowed to book for a hotel for overnight stay. The usual rules for hotel bookings apply.

The FRC does not operate an overtime policy and therefore there can be no compensation or time off in lieu for travel time however line managers do have discretion to allow adjustment to working hours as they deem appropriate.

All members of staff will be allocated a permanent place of work at one of the two FRC offices:

London (London Wall changing to Harbour Exchange)
Birmingham (3 Arena Central)

Staff who travel regularly to a place of work other than their permanent place of work (including the other FRC offices) should notify Finance/HR so that monitoring can be put in place to ensure that this remains tax compliant. Regular travel to another site (over a 24-month period) can lead to a second permanent place of work being established under HMRC rules. Such journeys then become part of the normal commute for which expenses are not claimable.

Role and Responsibility

Role	Responsibility
Policy Owner	Is Responsible for the policy template, ensuring the template is up to date, relevant, and contains the required information.
Policy Officer	Authors the policies and monitors their status to ensure they are reviewed when necessary and comply with FRC standards.
All staff	Are responsible for ensuring their policies are up to date and comply with FRC standards and templates.

Details below of all contact information pertaining to the policy template:

Name	Title	Contact Details
Tara Trousdale	Finance Director	Email: [email protected]
David Andrews	Finance and Policy Transition Manager	Email: [email protected]
Ethan Moxam	Policy Officer	Email: [email protected]

Financial Reporting Council

Financial Reporting Council 8th Floor 125 London Wall London EC2Y 5AS +44 (0)20 7492 2300

www.frc.org.uk

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Name FRC Travel and Expenses Policy

Publication date 27 September 2023

Type Policy

Format PDF, 319.2 KB

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FRC Travel and Expenses Policy

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