Expenses

Two volunteers using a variety of digging tools

We're very grateful for any expenses returned to us as donations.

In accordance with Charity Commission guidelines we reimburse any expenses incurred by volunteers carrying out Society business. We encourage all volunteers to claim any expenses incurred because this allows us to demonstrate the amount of charity work we do.

Some volunteers claim the money then donate it back to the Society with Gift Aid. We really appreciate this, but we don’t expect it.

For full details and claim form, please see below.

How it works

  1. Our obligations. As a charity we are obliged to keep proper accounts. You should make all claims using the expenses claim form, which can be downloaded further down on this page or obtained from Taylor House. Where possible, please attach receipts to the claim form. If you're unable to provide a receipt, please email the Treasurer to explain why.
  2. Road travel. Travelling expenses may be claimed. Give brief details of the journey and its purpose on the form. For bus or train travel, please attach receipts or tickets. For journeys by private car, mileage is payable at the HMRC business mileage rate, currently 45p per mile. For journeys by motorcycle, mileage is payable at 20p per mile. By bicycle, 10p per mile. Where there is adequate and convenient public transport, mileage claims should not exceed the cost of public transport.
  3. Rail travel. The cost of a railcard may be claimed when the savings to the Society on reimbursed fares exceed the cost of the card. You should tell the Treasurer you have purchased a railcard and present a copy. Use this card to purchase rail tickets when on Society business. When you submit your expenses claim form to the Treasurer, enclose your tickets or receipts. The Treasurer will keep a record of the total costs of tickets purchased. When you’ve saved more than the cost of buying the card by using it on PNFS business (it currently allows a third off non-railcard fares), then we will reimburse the full cost of the railcard as well as your fares.
  4. Accommodation. In exceptional circumstances the cost of an overnight stay may be claimed. Such circumstances include courts and inquiries officers attending an inquiry which starts so early that it is not practical to travel on the day. Or a Footpath Inspector inspecting a distant parish where the cost of travel exceeds the cost of an overnight stay. If you are an Inspector, you must obtain agreement from the Inspectors Coordinator. For other volunteers, you must get agreement from the Chair, Treasurer or Secretary before booking accommodation. This agreement must be recorded in the appropriate box on the expenses claim form.
  5. Stationery, and commercial copying and printing. Please give details and provide receipts if possible.
  6. 'Desktop' printing. Printing using your own inkjet/lazer/etc., printer may be claimed at 5p per side.
  7. Postage. Please keep a record of each letter sent. You only need to submit the total you've spent on postage each month.
  8. Telephone calls. Please use email or an app-based messaging service if possible. Otherwise, if claiming for telephone calls, indicate briefly the purpose of each call and its duration, and estimate the total cost.
  1. Other. Exceptionally you may wish to purchase items or services with the intention of reclaiming the cost from the Society. Up to a value of £20, such purchases may be made without reference to Trustees and you should reclaim the cost via an expenses claim form in the usual way. For items over £20 but less than £100 you must obtain agreement from the Inspectors coordinator if you are an Inspector. For other volunteers, you must get agreement from the Chair, Treasurer or Secretary, preferably in writing or by email, before making the purchase. Items over £100 must have the prior written approval of two Trustees: either the Chair, Treasurer or Secretary or other Trustees, neither of whom shall be the claimant.
  2. Keeping records. Keep your detailed records for at least two years in case of any enquiry.
  3. Claim approval. All expense claims submitted will be checked by the Treasurer and must be approved by two Trustees, neither of whom shall be the claimant.
  4. Prohibitions. An authorised signatory must not sign a cheque or approve a BACS payment payable to themselves.
  5. Conflicts. The Society does not pay members or anyone connected to them for professional or other services, as conflicts of interest may arise. This does not apply:
    1. to the reimbursement of expenses properly incurred in accordance with the Society’s expenses policy, or
    2. where the Trustees (excluding a Trustee with a personal interest in the decision, who may take no part in the deliberations) have met before any commitment to pay has arisen and have decided that there are exceptional circumstances which justify the making of the payment. “Exceptional circumstances” means circumstances where the services would not otherwise be available to the Society, or the Society self-evidently secures a distinct, tangible benefit from paying the member (or any connected person) for providing the services.
  6. “Connected persons”. The Constitution and section 185 of the Charities Act 2011 mean that a Trustee must not receive any benefit (other than expenses) from providing services to the Society unless the Charity Commission approves. S 185 includes an intricate definition of “connected person” which the Trustees will follow in applying the above paragraph to a member. In effect, the phrase refers to a close relative or a business or company in which the member (or his or her spouse or civil partner) has a direct or indirect and non-trivial financial interest.

Expenses Claim Form

An official expenses claim form must be used to claim back your expenses. Paper forms are available from Taylor House, or you can use the button to download the paperless PDF version..

When the form is downloaded, please fill it out on your device and send it back to us using the submit button included in it. This will load the form into an email. At this point you can attached any files needed, like images of receipts for example.

Download