SimpleReturns

Can my company claim travel, mileage and parking?

Updated 27 June 2026
The short answer

Yes, for real work journeys. Your company can claim train and bus fares, and the cost of driving for the business. Two traps to avoid. Your everyday commute from home to a regular workplace is not claimable. And when you drive your own car for work you claim a set rate per mile, not your petrol: 55p a mile for the first 10,000 business miles in the year, then 25p. Parking on a work trip counts. Parking and speeding fines never do. We pick the right method for you.

What travel can my company actually claim?

If you make a journey for the work itself, the cost of that journey is a business cost. The company can claim it, and it comes off your profit before tax. That covers:

  • Train, bus, tube, tram and taxi fares for a work trip.
  • Air fares where the trip is genuinely for the business.
  • Driving for the business in your own car, claimed as a set rate per mile (more on that below).
  • Parking, tolls and the congestion charge while you're out on that work journey.

The simple test is the reason for the journey: are you travelling because the work needs you somewhere, not just getting yourself to your usual place of work? If it's a real work journey, it counts.

The journey that does NOT count: your commute

Here's the one that trips people up. Your everyday journey from home to a regular place of work is not a business cost. HMRC calls it commuting, and you can't claim it, even though you're travelling to do your job. It doesn't matter if you drive, get the train, or pay to park there.

So if you go to the same office, shop or unit most days, that journey is your own cost, not the company's. The travel you can claim is the extra journey the work sends you on: out to a client, a supplier, a job site, a one-off meeting somewhere else.

There's a finer point for places you work at for a long stretch. A site you'd normally count as a "trip" can turn into your regular workplace if you end up spending most of your time there for a long time, and then those journeys stop counting too. It's a fiddly line, so if a lot of your work is at one other location, tell us and we'll work out which side of the line you're on.

I drive my own car for work, what can I claim?

You claim a set amount for each business mile, not your petrol. This single rate is meant to cover your fuel and the wear on the car together, so you don't add fuel on top.

The rates for driving your own car or van are:

  • 55p for every business mile, for your first 10,000 business miles in the tax year.
  • 25p for every business mile after that.
For example

Say you drive 12,000 business miles in the year in your own car:
The first 10,000 miles: 10,000 × 55p = £5,500.
The next 2,000 miles: 2,000 × 25p = £500.
Total the company can claim: £6,000.

You keep a simple note of each work trip, where you went, why, and the miles, and that's your claim. You don't work out a share of your fuel receipts; the per-mile rate already does that job.

The fuel trap: don't put your own petrol through the company

This is the mistake to avoid. If you drive your own car, do not pay for your petrol on the company card or put your fuel receipts through the company. That's not how it works, and it can land you with a tax bill. The right way is the per-mile rate above.

Paying for actual fuel only makes sense when the company itself owns the car. And a company-owned car comes with its own catch: the car, and any private fuel that comes with it, is counted as a perk you've been given, so you get taxed on it, and the company pays extra National Insurance too. Whether a company car is worth it depends entirely on your situation. It's a real decision with a real tax cost, so tell us and we'll work it through, or point you to an accountant if it's a close call.

Can I claim parking, and what about a parking ticket?

Parking on a work trip: yes. If you park while you're out doing the work, visiting a client, a supplier, a site, that parking cost is part of the journey and the company can claim it. Same with tolls and the congestion charge.

A parking fine or speeding fine: no. A penalty for breaking the law isn't a business cost, even if it happened on a work trip and even if it's in the company's name. Those you pay yourself, and they don't come off the company's tax.

What if a trip is part work, part personal?

If a journey is partly for the business and partly your own, say you visit a client and then carry on to see family, you can only claim the part that was genuinely for the work, and only if you can show what that part was. A trip that's really a personal one with a bit of work bolted on doesn't count.

How SimpleReturns handles it

Tell us about your work travel and we add it up the right way: fares straight in, your own-car driving at the correct per-mile rate, parking on a work trip included, your commute and any fines left out. If a company car or a long-term site is in the picture, we flag it so it's handled properly rather than guessed. You see every figure before anything is sent.

Common questions

Can I claim driving to my own office every day?

No. The regular journey from home to a workplace you go to most days is commuting, and you can't claim it. The travel you can claim is the journey the work sends you on somewhere else, like out to a client or a site.

Do I claim my petrol, or a rate per mile?

A rate per mile, when it's your own car: 55p for the first 10,000 business miles in the year, then 25p. Don't put your own petrol through the company, the per-mile rate already covers your fuel and the wear on the car.

My company owns the car, can I claim the fuel then?

With a car the company itself owns, the company can pay its running costs, but the car (and any private fuel) counts as a taxable perk for you, with extra National Insurance for the company. It's a real decision with a real cost, so we work it through with you rather than you guessing.

Can I claim parking and tolls?

Yes, when they're on a genuine work journey. Parking at a place you're visiting for work, tolls and the congestion charge are all part of the travel cost.

What about a parking ticket I got on a work trip?

No. Parking fines and speeding fines are penalties for breaking the law, so they're never claimable, whoever's name is on the ticket.

Do I need to keep anything to claim travel?

Yes. Keep a simple record of each work trip, the date, where you went, why, and the miles or the ticket, and hang onto it. You need to be able to show the journey was for the business if asked.

Ready to do it the easy way?

You don't need to know any of the above to file. Tell us about your work travel and we add it in the right way, mileage at the correct rate, fares and parking included, your commute and fines kept out, and show you every figure before anything is sent, for £99, once, no subscription.

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Or, if you've got a company car or your work is mostly at one long-term site, an accountant may be the better fit, and that's an honest call to make.

General guidance, not advice. This guide explains how the rules generally work for small UK limited companies. It isn't tax advice for your specific situation, if you're unsure, check with us or an accountant.