Wholegrain’s Expenses Policy provides guidance on how we’ll reimburse you for any work-related expenses.
The policy applies to all team members that need to spend money for work-related activities or items.
Policy Elements
Expenses generally fall into two categories: expenses paid directly by Wholegrain on your behalf and expenses you’ve paid that are reimbursable.
We’ll reimburse all reasonable business expenses, after they’ve been approved, in full or in part depending on the nature of the claim.
Guidelines for Expenses
Equipment: We provide all permanent staff with a laptop, along with any accessories you may require. We’ll have a chat when you start to agree on the operating system and spec. When purchasing equipment, we always try to select a manufacturer with good social and environmental policies, as laid out in our Procurement Policy.
We also provide you with anything you need for a healthy working environment.
If you need an item urgently – for example, if a delay will prevent you from working effectively – you may purchase smaller items then request reimbursement, following approval from one of the Directors.
Software subscriptions: We have subscriptions to all the services you should need to carry out your role effectively. However, if you identify something that would help you, especially if it would also be useful for the wider team, we would consider paying for this subscription with our company card.
If you’re already using a subscription-based service when you join us and find it necessary for your role, we would consider reimbursing you for this subscription or taking it on ourselves.
Subsistence: We don’t pay subsistence for you in the course of your usual working day, unless you have to travel outside London as part of your work. However, we would reimburse you should you buy drinks at a client meeting.
If you hold a meeting here at Somerset House, we encourage you to use the supplies provided in the kitchen rather than buying from the café, where possible.
At Wholegrain Digital we have a Vegetarian (no meat or fish) expense claim policy. This is to ensure that we are operating in the most sustainable way we can, we will reimburse you for any food or drink that is purchased by employees inline with our Food and Catering Policy.
You may also claim expenses outside of the policy if the below apply:
- Clients – The Vegetarian food policy does NOT apply to food ordered directly by clients. For example, if you meet a client at a cafe and offer to buy them a coffee and they request a cappuccino with dairy milk, this can be purchased and claimed on company expense. We voted for this policy as a team but should not impose it on our clients as food is very personal.
- Allergies – If you have a food allergy or intolerance that makes following this policy difficult, you should inform our People Manager or a director and ask to be granted an exemption.
Telephone: We’ll provide you with a work mobile phone for business use. As such, line rental and calls will be paid directly by us.
Should you need to use your personal mobile or landline for business use for a limited period (e.g. if your work mobile isn’t working properly and you’re waiting for a replacement), we’ll reimburse you for any business calls made. We require an itemised VAT bill, with the relevant calls highlighted.
Should this happen, we ask that you aim to get your Wholegrain mobile operational as soon as possible and please minimise the use of your personal phone.
Training courses: If you undertake a training or development course related to your role at Wholegrain, we may reimburse you in full or in part for this expense.
However before booking a training course, please have a chat with one of the Directors. We need to discuss the benefits this will bring to you and to Wholegrain, and agree how payment will be made. We may be able to pay the entire course in advance on your behalf.
If you’ve already made arrangements and we agree to cover the cost of the course, we’ll need a VAT receipt before we can reimburse you. Likewise, if we agree to make a contribution towards the cost of a course.
For further information, read our Training and Development Policy.
Travel expenses: If you need to travel on Wholegrain business, we’ll cover the cost of your transport and, where appropriate, your food and accommodation. Travelling for work covers anything that’s required as part of your job, but isn’t part of your normal commute to the office.
To make things clear. Your place of work (Somerset House) is defined as Zone 1 London. Travel to Somerset House/ Zone 1 is classed as a ‘normal commute’.
Below are some examples:
Claimable journey:
- Your home to client office outside of London. E.g your home to Manchester (full trip is claimable)
- Your home to client office outside of Zone 1 London (Trip form Zone 1 to client office is claimable. Your trip into London Zone 1 is not claimable)
Not Claimable:
- Your home to client meeting held at SSH/ Zone 1 London. This is classed as a regular commute.
For employees who live outside of London and have a long commute, we understand that it can get costly if you are travelling in a few times a week. If you find that you average more than 2 days per week (including SSH days) in a given month, please discuss with the HR and Office Manager or one of the Directors so that we can work out a solution.
Exclusions
Generally, Wholegrain Digital will not reimburse costs relating to:
- Broadband/internet provision
- Fines
- Insurance
- Personal expenditure (e.g. commuting costs and non-work-related costs)
How to Claim Expenses
Unless it’s something we’ve arranged and paid for in advance, every expense claim needs to be accompanied by a VAT receipt, in accordance with HMRC regulations.
To apply for reimbursement, fill out the required fields on our Expense Form and attach appropriate VAT receipts. Please be sure to include a description on the expense you are claiming. Our Expense Form will notify the Directors who will reimburse you accordingly. Finally, please keep the hard copy of the original VAT receipt and pass to Team Genie (Rachael) or People Manager (Neisha) who will file it for tax purposes.
All approved expense requests will be reimbursed with your salary at the end of the month. Should you need the money urgently, let us know and we’ll arrange for an earlier payment.
If you’re unsure whether you can claim for a particular activity or item, please check with one of the Directors.
Kindly note, we may update this Expenses Policy from time to time.