Can I claim tax relief for mileage when volunteering?
If you volunteer and use your own car, an organisation can usually reimburse your mileage up to HMRC’s approved rates without it being taxed. Volunteering itself does not generate taxable income, so the question is more about being reimbursed correctly than claiming personal tax relief.
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Check what you're owed →Volunteer mileage works a little differently from employment expenses. As a volunteer you are not earning taxable income from the role, so the focus is on how a charity or organisation reimburses you for using your own vehicle. They can pay you for your business miles up to HMRC’s approved mileage rates, and payments within those rates are not taxable.
If an organisation pays you more than the approved rates, the excess could be taxable, so most stick to the approved figures. If they pay you less, or nothing, you cannot usually claim personal tax relief in the way an employee can, because you do not have employment income to set the costs against — the relief mechanism for employees does not apply to unpaid volunteering.
The practical point is to keep an accurate record of the business miles you drive for your volunteering and agree how the organisation reimburses you. Using the approved mileage rates keeps the payments tax-free and straightforward. If you are unsure how your reimbursement should be treated, the organisation or GOV.UK guidance can confirm the correct approach.
How volunteer mileage is handled
- Log your volunteering miles. Record the miles you drive for the organisation, with dates and journeys.
- Agree the reimbursement. Confirm with the organisation how they reimburse mileage and that it is within the approved rates.
- Keep payments within the rates. Using the approved mileage rates keeps reimbursement tax-free and avoids a taxable excess.
- Check the treatment if unsure. If reimbursement differs from the approved rates, check the correct treatment with the organisation or GOV.UK.
Frequently asked questions
- Can a charity reimburse my mileage tax-free?
- Yes. Payments for your volunteering mileage up to HMRC’s approved rates are not taxable, which is why most organisations use those rates.
- What if I am paid more than the approved rate?
- The excess above the approved rates could be taxable, so organisations usually keep within the approved figures to avoid this.
- Can I claim relief if I get nothing back?
- Generally not in the employee sense, because volunteering does not give you employment income to set the costs against.
- What records should I keep?
- Keep a log of the business miles you drive for volunteering and a note of any reimbursement you receive.
MoneyFinder is an independent sign-posting service that helps you find financial support you may be entitled to. We are not a government body and do not provide financial advice. Figures are taken from the official sources cited above and were correct when last checked — always confirm current details on the linked GOV.UK pages.