How to make an expense claim This guide will take you through how to submit an expense claim in myvolunteering, how to track its progress from creation to payment of a claim. It will also show you how you can view your previous claims. Before you make your first claim in myvolunteering you will need to have entered your bank details. We ve got a step-by-step guide for doing that, a copy can be found on the help pages of myvolunteering or from your volunteer manager. First things first 1. head to the myvolunteering website by entering: myvolunteering.nationaltrust.org.uk 2. log-in using your own username and password 3. head to the expenses page by clicking on the expenses icon at the top of the page. 4. this will take you to this page and you need to select Add a new expense claim from the middle box
On this first page, start by selecting the property you are going to submit the claim to. If you volunteer at more than one place, when you click on the arrow you will see a list of the properties you can submit a claim to. In the claim description box, please enter the period you care claiming for and an overview of the journey. Click on the next button Having done that you will then need to confirm what type of expense you are claiming. Is it a travel expense (mileage), for parking, for accommodation, for food (subsistence)? Select the type from the top box. Then enter the date you incurred the expense (for example if you are claiming mileage, the date you made the journey). If you click on the box for the date a calendar will appear and you can select the date from there The final set of boxes you need to complete will then appear underneath. The example on the next page take you through what you need to do for a travel claim for other expense types you will see different boxes
By clicking on the arrow in this box, you will see a list of all the roles you do, please select the right one for the claim In this box you only need to give a brief reason for the expense. Enter the total number of miles you travelled Confirm which mileage rate you are claiming in this box The total amount will calculate and show here Please confirm whether you have a valid VAT receipt or not The amount of VAT calculated is displayed here. Do not edit Click NEXT Once you ve clicked NEXT, you have added on your first expense line and you will be taken to the screen on the next page
From this claim summary page you have got a choice about what you do next: You ve not got any further expenses to add + you don t want to submit = simply click to another page using the buttons on the top or log out You ve not got any further expenses to add + you want to submit to your manager for approval = click the blue SUBMIT for approval You ve got more expenses to add + it s the same type (so you ve added a mileage claim and the next expenses is also a mileage claim) = click the yellow Copy expense button (see below for more info) You notice an error on the line you ve just added + want to correct it = click the yellow Edit expense button You notice an error on the line you ve just added + you want to delete it completely = click the grey Remove expense button Copying an expense line This is a handy shortcut, which will save you time when creating your expenses. If you claim for the same thing on a regular basis for example if you claim for the same journey to your place, you can copy a line you ve added. Click on the Copy expense button and this screen appears You need to add in the date when you incurred the expense Doing that then shows you the box on page three but this time all the details in the box are complete Have a quick check and then click you need to edit anything you can. If You will be taken back to the Claim summary page and you can select what you d like to do next using the five options at the top of this page.
Adding a different type of expense On your expense claim you can claim for different types of expenses, you won t need to do two claims if for example you need to claim for your travel and if you ve had to buy a pair of gardening gloves or pay for a night s accommodation. If you need to do this, you need to click on the yellow Add new expense to a claim. You will then need to select the type of expense and complete the boxes with information about the incurred expense. The final thing to do Once you ve submitted your expenses for approval, please follow the instructions on screen and pop receipts, including VAT receipts, into a green envelope (these will be available for collection at your property/place). Do not post your envelope until you have been told your claim has been approved by the local manager. You will be asked to put some information onto the back of the envelope to ensure that s it is correctly matched with your expense claim: Your name Expense account number this is not your bank number and more about this below Volunteer claim reference number Your expense account number starts with a V and will remain the same; the claim reference number will be different with each claim you make. You can find your account and claim reference numbers by selecting the expenses icon and claim history to see this page:
How secure is my information? FAQ When creating the new system we have taken care to ensure all your personal information is secure, this includes using a secure website, ensuring that those who need access to the information only see as much as they need, that they have completed training on this. You will also see that we ve altered the design of pages to ensure that nobody can view your bank account number that s the same for your volunteer manger - only the last four digits of account numbers are visible for your reference. What expenses can I claim? Most volunteers only need to claim for their travel from home to where they volunteer, and back again. This would include travel to another site e.g. for an event. We recommend that if you are claiming for anything else and it s unusual, please check with your volunteer manager before making the purchase. How often can I make a claim? You should leave no more than three months between the date of your volunteering and making a claim. Making claims within 3 months helps your local team to budget properly for volunteering and manage finances effectively. How do I record my hours when I claim expenses online? You will no longer need to add the hours when you submit an expense claim. The number of hours you have given will still be counted though, so please continue to keep a record. I volunteer at more than one place, how does that work? You will need to make a separate claim for each place you volunteer. Where do I get volunteer expense claim envelopes for my receipts? You will be able to get envelopes from your manager. These envelopes are a vibrant green! Do I need VAT receipts for all my claims? Yes. An expense claim will not be paid until the receipts have been received by the Finance Service Centre. As a charity we are able to claim back the VAT on purchases such as fuel but we can only do this where a VAT receipt is present. We estimate that if all relevant volunteer expense claims were accompanied with a VAT receipt we d be able to claim back 200,000 in one year. A VAT receipt and ticking the VAT receipt box also means your property only pays the net amount of your claim so there is a local benefit as well. A valid VAT receipt always includes: the date, the companies VAT number and the VAT amount. Please only include VAT receipts that show dates before the last date you are claiming for. A credit/debit card receipt is never a valid VAT receipt.
Do I need to provide other receipts for my claims? If you are claiming for anything other than mileage, you will need to ensure that the receipt for the item(s) is (are) included in the envelope that is sent to the Finance Service Centre. This is so we can have clear audit trail. What happens if my receipts get lost in the post? When this happens you will be asked to send in secondary proof of payment. This could be a copy of your relevant bank statement or an Oyster card statement. For further help: have a look at the help page on the myvolunteering website have a chat with your manager drop us a line at myvolunteering@nationaltrust.org.uk