Principles

The RTPI appreciates the time and talent spent on its activities by volunteers, members of the RTPI, staff and trustees. In supporting the activities, expenses will be incurred which the RTPI is pleased to reimburse.

As the RTPI is a registered charity, it should provide full and transparent evidence that the reimbursed expenses are reasonable and incurred in carrying out charitable activities on a cost-effective basis.  Travel related expenses form a very significant part of the RTPI’s annual expenditure and the RTPI will make every effort to manage this responsibly. 

This policy applies equally to all staff and members, who are expected to familiarise themselves with its detail and encouraged to demonstrate financial discipline in planning for travel.

To ensure all claims are justified, substantiated and auditable, the following guidelines provide a clear indication of reimbursable expenses and a framework for assessing claims.

The allowances or rates included are those operative at October 2025. These will be subject to review from time to time.

Climate action

Climate action underpins Empower 2030, the RTPI Strategic Plan launched in 2025.  The RTPI commitment to achieving net zero emissions by 2025 remains central to the Strategic Plan. Actions to achieve this focus on reducing emissions of greenhouse gases. In 2022 business travel made up nearly 40% of the RTPI’s emissions. 35% of these emissions result from air travel and a further 24% from travel by car. Substituting these modes of travel with public transport, for example either bus or train, will have a significant impact on the reduction in emissions. Where it is not possible to eliminate emissions the RTPI will pay to offset them adding to the cost of the activities that emit them. This means that in some cases modes of travel that look cheaper than public transport alternatives actually cost the RTPI more.

Events should always be held in venues that are easily accessible from a mainline railway station, unless in exceptional circumstances. This means car travel to events should not be necessary. 

Consideration should always be given to the viability of virtual attendance at meetings.

Reasonable expenses

Expenses should reflect value for money and consider travelling time and the stresses and strains of types of public transport. Normally the lowest cost mode of transport should be used and tickets purchased in advance where savings are possible.

If a meeting is cancelled after purchasing a non-refundable ticket, RTPI will reimburse the cost.

Travellers should not benefit personally from expenses for tax and charity law reasons.

If a person is travelling from a location other than their home/place of work, the RTPI will reimburse the lower of the expenses actually incurred or those that would have been claimed if travelling from home/place of work.

Value for money

Staff and members are reminded that, as a charity, all spending should reflect best value for members’ money.

Whenever possible, meetings should be arranged to enable most attendees to travel “off peak”.

When planning travel:

• Seek the best possible price for the trip
• consider obtaining at least two quotes.

Finance can recommend a number of travel agencies on request.

For trips costing over £5,000, staff should comply with the procurement procedures and obtain multiple quotes.

Travel

Bicycle transport

The RTPI will reimburse mileage claims for use of a bicycle on official business at 20p per mile. The RTPI accepts no responsibility for any loss or damage resulting from the use of a bicycle.

Rail transport

Standard class fares will be reimbursed and staff and members are encouraged to take advantage of low fare options wherever possible.

First class travel on sleeper trains will be reimbursed where required to ensure exclusive use of a cabin.

First class travel will also be reimbursed for journeys where the train element is over 3 hours and staff or volunteers are expected to work whilst travelling (this is especially encouraged where the train is used as an alternative to flying).

Other upgrades to first class will only be reimbursed in very exceptional circumstances and by prior agreement with the appropriate budget holder.

First class tickets should be advance fares to ensure that they are as cheap as possible. and should only be booked by Senior Management Team members and Personal or Executive Assistants to SET/SMT.

Prior agreement with the appropriate budget holder is required as the use of this clause will be at their discretion and their budget constraints.

Other staff/volunteers should only book directly with prior permission from the Head of Finance or, in their absence, the Chief Operating Officer. It would not normally be appropriate to buy these tickets on the day.

Where you would like to travel first class at your own expense, the RTPI will reimburse up to the standard advance fare. This should be agreed in advance with Head of Finance or Chief Operating Officer.

Trustees, staff, members and other volunteers entitled to purchase a senior or other discount railcard should take advantage of the reduction of fares, where possible.

The RTPI has an account with the Trainline which provides for online pre-booking of tickets. Various members of staff are authorised to make bookings – details available from Line Managers or from Finance.

Transport for London area travel: Staff and volunteers are encouraged to make use of contactless cards or Oyster cards for travel around London where possible, and should submit claims on a journey basis, supported by receipts or Oyster statements (available online).  Oyster top-ups will not be reimbursed, as they do not represent travel expenditure and cannot be validated as a business expense. Contactless card travel on tfl requires an online account to access journey history statements. See https://tfl.gov.uk/fares/how-to-pay-and-where-to-buy-tickets-and-oyster/pay-as-you-go/contactless-and-mobile-pay-as-you-go?intcmp=55539 for further details on account creation.

Car transport

The RTPI does not encourage travel by car but recognises that there are circumstances where the use of a car is necessary, for instance in rural areas with limited public transport, during unsocial hours, or where personal safety might be an issue. 

Car-sharing should be considered wherever possible

If a claim for more than 100 miles per round trip is submitted, members or staff will be required to give an indication of why driving was the most suitable driving option. 

The RTPI will reimburse mileage claims at up to 45p per mile. A lower rate of 20p per mile will be used for members and volunteers using their company provided car (where a number of fixed costs are not borne by the traveller). Reduced rates of up to 25p will be paid if the mileage exceeds 10,000 miles in a tax year.

It is the traveller’s responsibility to ensure that they are insured to drive on RTPI business. Most policies cover the policy holder for their personal business use but not necessarily that of their spouse or other insured users.

The RTPI will not reimburse:

parking penalties, speeding fines or losses arising from accidents even if they arise whilst using a private car on the RTPI’s business.

Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) or similar charges; public transportation is encouraged in cities.

Taxis

Taxi fares will not normally be reimbursed unless justified in such terms as: personal safety including following government health advice, carrying heavy equipment or luggage, no suitable alternative public transport or late evening / night travel. Taxi fares will also be permitted where time is of an essence and travel by taxi is the fastest mode of transport available or where there are several people travelling together which makes this the most cost-effective option.

Air transport

While air travel may appear to represent cheaper and time efficient alternative, it carries with it significant negative environmental impacts. Air travel emits 100 times more CO2 per hours than an equivalent journey by train. For this reason, the RTPI does not encourage internal flights where alternative routes are available with a less damaging impact on the environment. To ensure net-zero, there is a cost of offsetting the carbon on all travel incurred by the RTPI which is particularly high on any air travel. We actively encourage train travel even for cross-country routes where an overnight stay may then be required.

Economy class fares will be reimbursed where air travel is still considered necessary and alternatives such as joining online or trains for travel within Great Britain have been considered with the budget holder.

Premium economy may be used for long-haul (over 7 hours) only with prior permission of the Chief Executive (CEX) (or Chair of the Board for the CEX).

Exceptions may be made if approved in advance for those with a specific medical condition/disability that requires additional space.

Accommodation

The RTPI will normally reimburse costs of overnight accommodation where this will reduce a total expense claim or reflects optimal use of time for the trustee, staff, member or other volunteer concerned; for example if attending meetings with a late finish and early start on consecutive days. In addition, overnight accommodation may be allowable in exceptional circumstances, by prior agreement, for example where public transport is not available late in the evening for your journey home cannot be completed by 22.00 pm.  The need for overnight accommodation should be agreed by the appropriate budget holder before any bookings are made, booked in advance and where the cost is above the guidelines, should be agreed before booking. This agreement may cover the term of a volunteers post. If this is not done then the price of a standard room only will be reimbursed.

En-suite rooms in a standard hotel will be reimbursed. For guidance purposes, a “standard” hotel would be one costing under £250 a night in London and £220 a night elsewhere in the UK. Extras (e.g. meals) will not normally be paid and these would, in any event, be recovered through a standard expenses claim. Business meals and incidentals on hotel receipts should be itemised separately on the expense claim.

Staying with friends and family: actual subsistence costs incurred whilst staying with friends and family may be claimed however current HMRC guidance does not allow for other payments to be made. For further guidance please speak to the Head of Finance.

Subsistence

The RTPI does not pay standard subsistence allowances. Reasonable costs will be reimbursed where travelling/working away from the usual place or work disrupts access to normal subsistence arrangements, e.g. :-

• Breakfast on a train where travel has started before 7am or after an overnight stay;
• A light meal at lunch time if food is not provided at the meeting;
• Evening meal and one drink when staying overnight or when travelling after 7pm
• One non-alcoholic drink will be reimbursed if the journey is over 2 hours.

No subsistence claims can be reimbursed without a receipt. (Please request VAT receipts.)

Subsistence will not be reimbursed where staff or members are attending a meeting or event where lunch or refreshments have been provided as a matter of course.

Alcoholic beverage expenses will not be reimbursed as subsistence; however a contribution of up-to £4 may be claimed against the beverage when part of an evening meal where a receipt is provided.

On occasion, expenses for alcoholic drinks may necessarily be incurred by members or officers representing the RTPI, (e.g. as president) who are required to offer hospitality.  This is covered by the provisions of hospitality section below.

Overseas travel

Risk assessment should be completed for overseas travel before booking and submitted to your line manager for approval prior to booking. They should be reviewed/updated as necessary before departure. Also see the health and safety policy.

The RTPI staff /volunteer risk assessment is in appendix 2.

Travel expenses in foreign countries will be reimbursed on the basis of the exchange rate at the time the currency or purchase was made. If a credit card was used to purchase goods or services reimbursement will be based on the rate applied by the credit card provider.

The cost of visas will be reimbursed if required for official travel.

Note that our travel insurance does not cover travel to destinations where the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office “advise against all travel” or “advise against all but essential travel (see below for further details).

Shared costs

Reimbursable expenses should be wholly, necessarily and exclusively incurred on RTPI business. It is however recognised that some members might travel to London for meetings at the RTPI and at other organisations. In such cases, the RTPI will reimburse an equitable apportionment of any expenses.  If expenses are incurred solely on third party business, for example if an employee or member is fulfilling a speaking engagement, then the expenses should be claimed directly from the sponsoring organisation.

Hospitality

From time to time either the Chief Executive, other senior staff, the Public Affairs Officers or members will be expected to provide hospitality for contacts whilst representing the RTPI. Any such member of staff or member should obtain prior authority from the relevant budget holder before committing to the expense.

The expense claim should detail the names of those in receipt of the hospitality. With regards to alcoholic beverages, a maximum of one round of drinks in the evening would be considered appropriate and sufficient in most circumstances.

Expenses for the president

Members of the presidential team may on occasions incur expenses which are not be covered by the generality of the arrangements outlined in the RTPI’s expenses policy.  These are most likely to arise in the areas of hospitality, administrative support and travel arrangements.  While this expenses policy is expected to apply to all members of the presidential team in respect of most activity, advice about possible variations to the policy is contained in separate guidance notes for the president.

Colleague hospitality/social functions

From time-to-time it may be appropriate for teams to incur lunch expenses to celebrate good work or for team building. Budget holders should detail on claims those attending and costs including any refreshments should not exceed £30 including VAT per head. Permission should be obtained from a director / member of the Executive Team before incurring costs.

Please ensure VAT receipts are obtained and details of those present should be provided on the expenses claim.

For large staff social events such as the Summer BBQ the total average cost per head should not exceed £150 including irrecoverable VAT per annum to comply with HMRC guidelines.

Procedure for claiming reimbursement of expenses incurred

Expense claims should be submitted using ExpenseIn - to get a log-on issued please email Finance.RTPI@rtpi.org.uk

Further guidance on ExpenseIn can be found for volunteers at RTPI | Resources and for staff at RTPI Expenses Policy (sharepoint.com)

Each claimant is responsible for:

• the timely reconciliation of their expenses claim
• providing electronically full documentation to support each claim which demonstrates the use of funds
• Ensuring HMRC requirements are met, including:
  • clear explanation of the business purpose/meeting 
  • the details of any meeting/ expense including relevant names and organisation, and the date and location.
  • Receipts and other suitable evidence to support the claim (e.g. photos, bank statements). Please contact Finance.RTPI@rtpi.org.uk if further guidance is required.

If staff or a member has any doubts about the validity of a particular claim they should seek clarification or approval before incurring any costs.

All expenses should be submitted electronically within one month of being incurred. Expenses not submitted within three months will not normally be reimbursed. In exceptional circumstances, a written statement explaining why the expenses have been submitted late should be included.

VAT receipts should be attached where possible to enable VAT recovery. 

Credit card vouchers/receipts are not normally acceptable, as they carry no VAT record, and item descriptions. We require a full audit trail that demonstrates the expense incurred.

Expenses will normally be reimbursed within two weeks of claiming; ExpenseIn shows where your claim is on the approval workflow. Your claim may be split for payment if expenses for more than one meeting and have to be approved by different Officers or if part of the claim has been queried by the approver or Finance.

The RTPI expects line managers to approve expense claims promptly and verify the following:

• The purpose of travel is valid and directly related to official RTPI business;
• The claim is correctly coded and split as necessary e.g. VAT and non-VAT items, hotel and subsistence;
• Consideration has been given to climate action and the method of travel is the most “carbon efficient” way of travelling, where possible;
• The total cost of the trip is within the approved budget and available funding;
• Expenses are consistent with this policy with valid receipts submitted, and coded to their department; and
• The purpose, time period, and participants are documented on the expense claim where relevant.

Where reimbursements have not been received within three weeks, please contact the Finance Department.

Insurance cover while travelling on the RTPI’s business

Staff and members travelling on the RTPI’s business are covered by the Personal Accident/Travel Policy, reviewed and updated on an annual basis.  Details of the cover and the procedure for making claims can be obtained by contacting the Finance Department at 41 Botolph Lane. (The insurance does not cover travel to destinations where the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office “advise against all travel” or “advise against all but essential travel”. It does not provide cover when travellers extend trips for personal reasons, and does not cover extreme sports/activities.)

Staff and volunteers using their private vehicles for business use are NOT covered by this policy and should ensure that their private motor insurance policy includes “occasional business use” and volunteers should check the list (pdf) provided on the ABI website and contact their insurer if required.

Corporate credit cards

Holders of corporate credit cards should complete their credit card expenses on ExpenseIn by the end of the month in which the statement is received.

Expenditure incurred should be in accordance with this expenses policy, and users should observe the terms of the credit card agreement provided to each cardholder.

Any use of a corporate credit card either not reported to Finance or in excess of this expenses policy will be treated as private expenditure, recoverable from the cardholder. Private usage in this manner may result in the corporate credit card facility being withdrawn.

Review

All expense claims are subject to review. Any invalid claim will be treated seriously and disciplinary action may be taken.

Appeals

If expenses are not approved the claimant may appeal to the Chief Executive (if the Chief Executive is the approving officer, an appeal may be made to the Chair of the Board) whose decision is final.

Date of next review:

The Expense Policy is reviewed on an annual basis. Changes are approved by the Finance Committee.

The next review is October 2026