Claiming expenses
It is Natural England's policy to reimburse volunteers for their out-of-pocket expenses.
Out-of-pocket expenses include:
Travel to and from the place of volunteering
Travel during the course of volunteering
Purchase of previously agreed equipment or protective clothing
Cost of postage, phone calls, stationery, batteries for torches etc (as previously agreed)
If you travel by train or bus, you are entitled to full reimbursement of your fare. If public transport is not a viable option for your journey and you need to use your own car, you are entitled to be reimbursed at the Standard Mileage Rate (SMR). This is currently 45 pence per mile (November 2011).
General rules for all expense claims
Any expenses should be agreed with your team, especially before making any unplanned journeys or purchases.
Retain receipts/tickets for any purchases and attach them to your Volunteer Expenses Form.
Where mileage reimbursement is claimed
In addition to the general rules for all expense claims:
You must hold a full UK driving licence (or where appropriate, European) - not provisional.
The vehicle used for voluntary work must have a valid road fund licence and a current MOT certificate (if required).
You must maintain the vehicle(s) used for voluntary work in a roadworthy condition. Natural England accepts no responsibility for costs incurred for MOTs, insurance, servicing, repair, breakdown cover, depreciation, oil or fuel.
You must hold fully comprehensive insurance including, in addition to the minimum legal requirements, insurance without financial limit against claims in respect of bodily injury to, or death of, a third party or passenger, damage to the property of a third party, and damage to or loss of the vehicle.
You must seek confirmation from your insurer that your policy contains a clause indemnifying Natural England against third party claims arising from the use of your vehicle for voluntary work. A standard letter to enable you to contact your insurer to confirm this is available - Volunteers Insurance Cover Letter: (20kb)
. Please keep this confirmation letter, or your insurance company response to your request for your own records. There is no need for you to submit a copy of this letter to Natural England, but we may request a copy should you be involved in an accident.Full 'business use' insurance is usually not required, but you must inform your insurers in writing that you are using your vehicle for voluntary work. Failure to do so may result in you being personally liable for any damage or injuries sustained in an accident. Informing your insurer that you use your vehicle for voluntary work should not increase the cost of your premium. Please contact Anne-Marie Ritchings on 01484 609539 for advice, if your policy is increased as a direct result of your voluntary work.
You must be using the vehicle for official journeys (as a volunteer at Natural England's request) and the use of the vehicle must be essential for that journey.
You may claim up to 10,000 miles per year at the SMR regardless of engine size.
You must keep a record of mileage travelled during the course of voluntary work including a cumulative total and be able to present this record to Natural England upon request (this is a requirement for Income Tax and National Insurance purposes).
If your insurance policy does not meet the above insurance requirements, you will not be able to claim back your mileage expenses.
Before making your first claim
New volunteers or volunteers who have never made an expenses claim before should complete the bank details section of the volunteer expenses form on their first claim. For all subsequent claims, you can leave this section of the form blank. Please do not use the expenses form to tell us of a change of your bank account details – instead, please request a BACs form from your approving officer.
If it has been more than 13 months since your last claim, you will need to complete your bank details on the claim form as though you are claiming for the first time.
Expense claim procedure
Approving Officer
On every claim you make, you will need to complete the section stating the name, office location and telephone number of your Approving Officer. If you do not complete the form with details of your Approving Officer, your form may be returned back to you and this could result in severe delay in the time taken for you to receive your reimbursement.
List of Approving Officers: (58kb).
Frequency of claiming
You should make any claims on a regular basis, ideally monthly.
Submitting your claim
You should record your journey(s) and/or purchases for the month on a Volunteer Expenses Form (V3): (77kb)
. Attach your receipts and send the completed form to Shared Services Directorate, Room 64 Lion House, Willowburn Industrial Estate, Alnwick, Northumberland NE66 2PF or email it toSSD.APNE@defra.gsi.gov.uk
When the office receives your claim, it will be authorised, processed and payment made. If you make a lot of journeys, you may attach more than one form together, placing the sheet with the total amount at the top.
Your reimbursement will be paid into your bank account and a remittance advice slip will be sent to your contact address - either by email or post, depending on the preference you gave on your claim form.
More information
If you would like more information or have any queries on claiming your out-of-pocket expenses, contact your Approving Officer or your support advisor.
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