Expenses

Making sure people can afford to volunteer

Cost can be a significant barrier to volunteers, particularly those on a low income so paying expenses and pro-actively offering all volunteers expenses is really important. Reimbursing volunteers out of pocket expenses is a matter of equality of opportunity.

Volunteering should be something that is open to everyone, not just to those with enough money. Think about the chair of a committee who pays a lot out of their own pocket for the refreshments at meetings, as well as for the phone calls and petrol costs, and little gifts for volunteers’ birthdays. Would a person on a low income be able to take over this role if they presumed they would have to do the same?

Reimbursing volunteers’ out of pocket expenses is something that really opens up volunteering to everybody; after all, you’re asking someone to give their energy, time and skills, would you ask them to pay for the privilege?

Planning

It is now common practice for groups and organisations to pay (up to a clearly defined limit) the costs that volunteers incur in the course of their volunteering. Typically this might include:

  • Travel
  • Child care
  • Food
  • Clothing / equipment,
  • Training

Telephone calls

Postage.

Organisations should give some thought about which expenses they are able/willing to cover before they begin recruiting volunteers. Having a volunteer expenses policy can help as it can specify what type of out of pocket expenses your organisation will cover, for example, if you reimburse travel costs does this mean you will cover petrol or mileage? Or will you reimburse travel at public transport rates.

At the end of the day, the decision is yours, it just has to be clear and apply to everyone.

Tax and Benefits

Claiming expenses is not a ‘payment’ so has no minimum wage implications or any effect on benefits. As long as the expenses are necessary in order for someone to carry out their volunteer role and paid against a receipt there are no restrictions, but youshould take copies of bus tickets, food receipts or child care costs as proof that it is an expense that the volunteer has actually incurred.

Claiming Expenses

It is now considered best practice to insist that volunteers claim expenses, rather than to offer them the choice. This is to ensure that your group has standard procedures which apply to everyone, and to avoid excluding those on low incomes. If some volunteers don’t claim their expenses, it can be awkward and embarrassing for those who really need to.

Volunteers can always discreetly donate their expenses back to the organisation at a later date, but by having claimed them in the first place they will have helped to create a culture where receiving expenses is the norm, and your organisation will have a much clearer idea about the true cost of volunteer involvement.

Pay on the day.

Travel costs and food costs should be paid in cash on the day where at all possible. A day-saver bus fare can now be 10% or more of a volunteer’s weekly income – just imagine spending 10% of your weekly income on a journey? How many times would you do it without getting reimbursed?

WHERE TO GET HELP WITH THIS

If your group is a member of an Association, or if you are a branch of a larger Organisation, ask them what their expenses policy is

Ask your Volunteer Centre for sample policy and claim

Forms and for details of tax free allowances for drivers.