Always travelling for work? Whether it is commuting for client meetings or managing site visits, covering the fuel and Salik tolls can become very expensive. But should those be your expenses or does your employer take care of that? Let’s uncover the answer.
Are You Entitled To Fuel And Salik Reimbursement?
If you are employed with a mainland company in Dubai, then good news, UAE Employment Law has some insights on whether these travel expenses should be compensated. The answer? It depends but one thing for sure is that there are set criteria on what constitutes a reimbursable business expense.
The Law: What Are Your Rights?
With regards to fuel and Salik tolls the UAE’s labor laws and cabinet resolution number one in 2016 state that employers have dires responsibilities to meet certain business costs incurred by employees. But with that comes a single caveat where fuel and Salik payments are not considered to be reimbursed expenditure unless continuous travel is required for the job, there are specific clauses that allow for this in the employers policies or employment agreement.
Policies & Employment Agreements: Review your employment contract along with the company’s policies. Most companies do offer transportation allowances or state that if an employee drives his/her vehicle to the office, fuel and tolls will be reimbursed. If this part of the contract is ambiguous, that’s when you need to clarify.
Business Expense Reimbursement: UAE labor law does state that certain expenses related to the performance of your job are reimbursable. If you are required to perform work-related tasks using your own vehicle, costs like fuel and Salik toll fees may fall into this expense category.
Employee Expense Cabinet Resolution: The Cabinet Resolution assumes employees should not incur necessary travel expenses when performing work-related duties. Therefore, if travel is a regular part of your role, some costs should be covered by the company.
How to Claim Reimbursement
If you drive for work and pay for fuel and Salik, here is what you can do:
Review Company Policies and Contracts: Your first step should be to check your employment contract alongside company policies. In case of vague definitions, look for any mention of reimbursement and expense accounts in relation to business travel.
Have A Discussion With Your Employer: If reimbursement has not been discussed, speak with your HR representative, or manager. Most organizations are willing to consider negotiating allowances or reimbursements for travel, especially when the travel is a key requirement of an employee’s position.
Note Keeping: Document your travel-related expenses such as fuel costs and Salik payments. Having these records will streamline the reimbursement request process and help ascertain reimbursement fairness.
Handling Scenarios Where Your Employer Does Not Want To Pay
In the event that your employer declines to reimburse your travel expenses, you can consider the following:
Address the Concern: Explain the situation to your line manager, making it clear that the travel costs have come as a result of fulfilling your responsibilities as an employee.
Get Legal Help: These costs won’t be accepted by the business, so legally is the next option to explore, especially in regards to UAE employment laws. An expert can advise you on how best to seek reimbursement or address the matter.
Conclusion: Collect What You Deserve
In a perfect world, employers would fully reimburse any traveling expenses included in the scope of work, such as fuel and Salik toll charges. Even though there is no specific legislation towards this, having knowledge of your rights and your employment contract will aid you in avoiding losses in costs which should otherwise be reimbursed.
If your employer has not been reimbursing these expenses, now is the time to raise the issue. It may be worth addressing business expenses and the costs of performing your work. It would not be reasonable for you to incur expenses when they are clearly business expenses.