Claiming Food Expenses​

Claiming for mealsWhat records do I have to keep?

When you're claiming tax relief for food, you need to keep hold of things like receipts and order tickets as evidence of what you’ve spent. If you're paying by card, keep the slip that comes out of the machine. You can also get this information from bank statements but that will be much harder work.

If you take cash out of a machine to pay then take a quick photo of the withdrawal receipt. However, as with your bank statement this will only show what you took out, not what you spent so get a photo of the till total or anything else that shows the actual price you paid.

It’s a good idea to take a photo the price board or menu as extra evidence of your claim. If the menu doesn’t change you don’t have to take the same picture everyday – just one to show the prices is fine.

• Here's a quick checklist

  • The best thing is to have a record of all your spending in the form of receipts, meal tickets, email confirmations, bank statements or other records. If you haven't been keeping these then start now! If you aren't keeping a record of how you spent it so you can claim it back from HMRC you're throwing money away.
  • If you're heading out to a local shop, receipts are a good way to track your daily spending. The taxman loves receipts, so you should always hold onto them.
  • If you're using cash, getting a mini-statement from the bank machine you got it from can help show the money you've spent. For extra proof, taking a photo of the menu or price list can help support your claim as you may take £20 out of the wall but spend £7.35 on your actual food costs. 
  • If you're travelling to work on public transport, keep receipts for any food you buy onboard.
  • You can keep a food diary where you record what you eat and how much you spent every day.
  • Tell your work mates. If you've been missing out on the refunds you're entitled to, the chances are they have too! Getting them £250 back in their pocket as you wait in the meal line is better than buying them a quick cuppa because they’re short on cash that day. Even better - if they're not yet making a tax refund claim you could send them to use to get started and we'll reward you for everyone who claims with us.

This doesn’t mean you need to worry about keeping loads of small pieces of paper. You can take a quick picture of your receipt, meal ticket or menu board and save them together in one folder so you can easily find them all at the end of the tax year when its time to claim your tax refund. 

The photo just needs to be clear. Here are some real examples that our customers have taken and are exactly what we need to help support claims from different sites around the country.

If HMRC do ask for proof of your expenses they like to see nice, clear records - and the more detail you can give them of what you've spent them the happier they'll be that you're claiming for what you're due.

The taxman will always do his best to play fair with you, but he expects you to do the same. Don't go thinking you can put one over on him. If you're eating ham sandwiches for lunch but claiming for steak and lobster, don't be surprised when he complains.

Food Tax RebatesIf I need to stay away overnight for work, can I claim my meal costs?

Yes.  If you are staying overnight for work and your employer does not refund the money you spent on meals, then you can claim tax relief in the same way as you can with other work related expenses.

Again, it's important that you're honest.  Don't claim to have eaten a 3 course meal in the hotel restaurant if you popped out to the local takeaway. 

Don't forget to claim for the cost of food purchased during travelling to your temporary workplace.  Whether you buy your food from the buffet trolley,  the service station or at the shop or takeaway en route, remember to keep the evidence so that we can claim the tax relief for you.

FAQsFrequently asked questions about meals claims

• What records should I keep for claiming meals expenses?

  When you're claiming tax relief for food, you need to keep hold of things like receipts and order tickets as evidence of what you’ve spent. If you're paying by card, keep the slip that comes out of the machine. You can also get this information from bank statements but that will be much harder work.

  If you take cash out of a machine to pay then take a quick photo of the withdrawal receipt. However, as with your bank statement this will only show what you took out, not what you spent so get a photo of the till total or anything else that shows the actual price you paid.

  It’s a good idea to take a photo the price board or menu as extra evidence of your claim. If the menu doesn’t change you don’t have to take the same picture everyday – just one to show the prices is fine.

  Here are some examples that customers have taken in the past. You don't need to take an award winning photo, just a quick snap of the prices like this will do.

  

  You won’t need us to send all the records for us to do your claim but we need to know that you have evidence of your spending in case HMRC do ask for it and to make sure you're protected by our RIFT Guarantee.

  We can make a refund claim for your food related expenses as part of your travel tax refund, but not as a stand alone expenses claim.

  Use our tax calculator to see if you're due a refund.

• My work canteen doesn't give receipts. Can I still claim?

  If you can't get a receipt for your food, even a photo of the price board can be helpful in proving what you've spent. Just take a quick snap with your phone and keep it safe. The taxman's not trying to trip you up or cheat you out of money. All he's after is evidence to back up your claim, so he's sure you're paying the right amount of tax.

  You won’t need to send us all the photos for your claim. We just need to know you have them in case HMRC do ask for some evidence of your costs to make sure you're covered by the RIFT Guarantee.

• How much is a tax refund for meals refund worth?

  Many people assume it’s not worth the hassle of keeping records of what you spend on meals because the refund you get back won’t be worth it.

  Shockingly it turns out that you're probably looking at about a staggering £90,000 spent on food over your working life – that’s enough to pay off an average mortgage 6 years early!

  The cost of food varies a lot up and down the country, and depends on things like whether you have a subsidised canteen at work. Still, the average daily spend of a person at work is £5 - £10. This means you should be getting £250 - £480 more  back from HMRC in your refund every year.

  If you don’t claim you’re missing out, on average, around £12-25k over the course of your working life – and that’s a considerable amount of money for taking a few photos of what you had for lunch.

  Let's have a look at some examples:

  Bill, is a builder working on a construction site in London.

  • He arrives in the chilly early hours and grabs a quick cuppa to warm up before work  on his way in (£1.20).
  • After a few hard hours, he gets a tea break at 10am. He only had a light breakfast, so he buys a bacon roll from the local shop to keep him going until lunch (£2.49).
  • Lunch today turns out for be a burger with chips and a soft drink from the on-site canteen (£4.50).
  • In the mid-afternoon, he gets another break. There's a food van handy, so he buys himself a quick snack and a drink there (£1.75) before finishing up his day's work.

  Were you keeping track? Bill’s spent £9.94 already – and he’s probably a bit dehydrated at that!

  All pretty simple so far, right? Only, Bill had to trek down from his home in Scotland for this job and travel home at weekends. He claims his tax refunds for the food he buys during his work day, but he's still missing out badly.

  • He grabs a sandwich and a beer (£8.80 – and that’s if he has just one drink) on the train for his dinner on the way south which he should be claiming for.
  • When he arrives he has to stay overnight, which means bills for his evening meals (£7.50 in a local pub), because he doesn’t get a subsistence allowance from his employer
  • Then he has to fork over the price of next morning's breakfast (£5.95)

  This means he spends £22.25 on food during his travels to work.

  We can make a refund claim for your food related expenses as part of your travel tax refund, but not as a stand alone expenses claim.

  Use our Tax Refund Calculator to find out what you could claim.

• Can I claim the cost of food purchased while travelling on public transport or in my own vehicle?

  If you’re travelling to a temporary workplace then you can claim the costs for food purchased during this time.

  This might be when you are travelling during the working day to temporary workplaces or it might be if you have to travel a long distance to get to a temporary site that you’re staying over at.

  Whether you buy your food from the buffet trolley, the service station or at a shop or takeaway en route remember to keep the evidence so that we can claim the tax relief for you.

  Find out what you could claim with our Tax Calculator.

The LatestKeep up to date with the RIFT Tax Refunds blog

18th November 2024

What is tax relief in the UK

Tax relief allows taxpayers to reduce the amount of tax owed, helping you keep more of your hard-earned money. It com...

Read More

14th November 2024

Do you need to pay tax on your side hustle?

Side hustles are a fantastic way to top up your income, but do you always need to pay tax on that extra cash? The ans...

Read More

23rd October 2024

CIS deductions explained

The Construction Industry Scheme (CIS) is a set of rules put in place by HMRC for those working in the construction i...

Read More