How to calculate business travel expenses by car?

It's not uncommon for professionals to have to make business trips. The reasons are varied: meetings, conferences, contract signings, special events... But whatever the reason for a business trip, it generates costs that we call travel expenses. Of course, some trips are occasional and inexpensive, but on the other hand, some employees will have to travel regularly, increasing their costs.

So how do you calculate business travel expenses and claim the appropriate reimbursement from your employer?

What are business travel expenses?

A business travel expense covers all expenses incurred in the course of an employee's professional activity. These expenses are therefore linked to a given date and a precise location, enabling the appropriate supporting documents to be provided for the trip.

Travel expenses may involve a trip abroad for a long assignment, or they may be incurred in a neighboring town for a single day. In each of these situations, the employee is entitled to claim appropriate compensation.

But what are the different types of business travel expenses?

• Transport costs: ticket, mileage allowance, parking, vehicle rental, fuel, travel expenses
• Travel-related expenses: cab, accommodation, catering, miscellaneous expenses such as supplies, etc.

It is therefore important to ask for supporting documents for each expense incurred in the course of your professional activity, in order to be able to make a claim for reimbursement at a later date.

But how do you easily justify business travel expenses?

It's important for the employee to make an expense claim after each expense, so that it can be forwarded to the appropriate accounting department along with the necessary supporting documents. This may seem a delicate step, but it's essential if you hope to be reimbursed.

What should I include on my business travel expense claim?

• Date
• Total mileage
• Place of travel with reason
• Fiscal power of vehicle used

But how are business travel expenses calculated? 

It is based on the URSSAF scale. For meal expenses, you'll need to indicate the date, place and reason for travel to claim reimbursement through your expense report.

How are accommodation costs calculated? The distance must exceed 50 km and the duration 1h30 by public transport to be able to claim reimbursement for this part.

How are business travel expenses calculated?

All expenses must therefore be reimbursed by the employer once the expense claim has been completed and accompanied by the necessary supporting documents. In many cases, however, it will be essential for the employee to advance the expenses until he or she receives reimbursement from the company.

How are business travel expenses calculated?

For your car travel expenses, the calculation is based on the URSSAF scale. Expenses are calculated on the basis of fiscal horsepower and mileage. For example, for a 4CV vehicle and a distance of less than 5000km, the calculation of business travel expenses is d*0.606.

How do you calculate business travel expenses by car in excess of 20,000km?

The calculation is made by multiplying the distance by 0.370 for 3HP, or 0.427 for 5HP, according to the vehicle's tax rating.

How to calculate business travel expenses for a two-wheeler under 50cm3?

The calculation is based on the distance covered, for example d * 0.315 for less than 3000 km. Or d* 0.198 over 6000km.

For motorcycles, business travel expenses must be calculated on the basis of fiscal horsepower, in the same way as for cars. This gives you 3 categories:

• 1 to 2 HP
• 3 to 5 HP
• More than 5 HP

If you're in any doubt about how to calculate your business expenses, you can use an online tool provided by the government and refer to the URSSAF scale.