This procedure has been compiled to assist Diamond Employees and third parties with pre-authorised Diamond expense claims to comply with the Expenses Policy. It sets out which expenses will be reimbursed and how claims should be identified, authorised and accounted for at Diamond.
This procedure should be read together with the Expenses Policy and Diamond’s guidelines for Safety when Travelling on Company Business. These guidelines are only available on Diamond's intranet. If you need any assistance, please contact expenses@diamond.ac.uk If you submit an expense claim that is not in accordance with the Expenses Policy and this procedure, we will not reimburse that expense.
This policy reflects Diamond’s core values and we emphasize the principles of respect and integrity when it comes to expense claims. Employees are expected to submit claims with the utmost integrity, ensuring accuracy and adherence to guidelines. In administering expense claims, we assure all claimants that the process will be handled with due respect, transparency, and fairness. We recognize that exceptional cases may arise, falling outside the normal procedure. In such instances, we affirm our commitment to reasonable adjustments, demonstrating our unwavering support for our employees in conducting Diamond business while upholding our core values.
This procedure does not apply to Diamond Users. Diamond Users should refer to the Financial Support & Expenses Procedure for Diamond Users.
We will only reimburse your expense claims if they are:
Claims for Diamond Employees can be submitted via the finance system, Agresso, an explanation of the process is available here. Claims for third parties (including candidates and speakers) can be submitted via a link that will be provided upon request by contacting your Diamond Host.
All expense claims must be properly identified, authorised and accounted for. You must present your expenses in chronological order so that we can follow them accurately and you should only submit one claim where you have a group of expenses which are linked to each other (for example, a business trip). Each expense line should match a relevant supporting document. The receipt/self-declaration form dates entered on the claim should show the actual date of the expenditure, not the claim submission date.
All claims require an electronic copy of the receipt/self-declaration form indicating the cost and for claims where specific authorisation is required, a copy of that authorisation must be included. Diamond staff should where possible pay for their own costs and split receipts. If however, there is a group payment, this should be made by the most senior Diamond Staff member present. Where the receipt is in respect of costs incurred on behalf of colleagues, their names and whether they are a Diamond staff member or not must be clearly stated on the claim. Where travel is involved, the receipt/self-declaration form should also show the start and end of the journey and the date of travel.
For claim transactions less than £20 and within a low-risk category the claimant can choose too either:
a) Provide the receipt or
b) Complete a self-declaration form
Any self-declaration form must only be for the value of the expense incurred and relate to just one expense item.
We will not reimburse expenditure if receipts or self-declaration forms do not support the expenditure. Credit card statements are not receipts and you must always provide an itemised receipt or self-declaration form. However, if your credit card provider shows the itemised receipts on your statement this is acceptable.
Categories and sections within this policy that qualify for self-declaration forms are:
3.7 Overseas currency loss/gain
5.1.9 Car parking, congestion and toll charges
5.2.2 Rail travel
5.4 Bus and coach travel
6.4 Meals, drinks, snacks, water
6.5 Meals, drink, snacks, water in specific countries
7.2 PCR tests and VISA costs
9.1 Subscriptions
11.1 Conference fees
Your claim, once submitted, will be sent through our approval workflow and then to the Finance team for payment. During the approval workflow, we may raise a query with you. It is your responsibility to respond promptly to any queries raised. If a query from us remains unanswered by you 90 days after the date the expense was incurred and at least 30 days from the date of our query, your claim will be rejected and you shall no longer be entitled to receive the reimbursement.
You may find it convenient to take a photograph of each receipt as you incur expenses. This is often particularly useful in the case of train tickets (which may not be returned at the end of your journey). Our claims system allows you to upload photos of your receipts in order to match them to your expense items. We will not reimburse your train fare without the receipt for the ticket, unless it’s under £20 and a self-declaration form is submitted.
If you cannot provide proof of your exchange rate via a receipt or bank statement, then we will use our default monthly exchange rate, which can be found here. These rates are only available on Diamond's intranet. Please contact expenses@diamond.ac.uk. if you have any queries. Receipts are required except where it meets the requirements for self-declaration (section 3.4).
Where the relevant Budget Owner or Diamond Host has a personal relationship (as defined in the Employment of Relatives and other people who have a close relationship with a Current Employee Guidelines) with you, then your claim should be agreed by the relevant Director or his/her nominee prior to any expenditure being incurred. Where there is a personal relationship with a Director then the claim should be agreed with the Chief Executive Officer prior to any expenditure being incurred.
You may request that a business trip is extended for recreational purposes or that you are accompanied by your partner or dependents on a business trip. This will be entirely at Diamond’s discretion and must be fully approved in advance. The relevant line manager and Budget Owner must pre-authorise any such travel arrangements before any expenditure is incurred. Furthermore, Diamond Travel Bookers need to pre-authorise the amount allowable for reimbursement of your business trip. You will be required to pay for all resulting incremental expenditure arising out of the trip. For the avoidance of doubt, we will not reimburse accommodation or meal costs for partners or dependants who may be accompanying you. Grocery receipts containing items for partners or dependants will not be reimbursed. Should you wish to extend your trip to incorporate personal travel, please ensure that this is indicated on the Travel Authorisation Form, with travel business dates provided in the relevant box. Personal travel must be requested when the form is first submitted. Once travel arrangements are confirmed, changes cannot be made unless in exceptional circumstances and require director approval. We will obtain two flight quotes, and should there be a difference in price, you are required to reimburse Diamond the difference. Please note that personal accommodation requirements and travel insurance outside of business dates are the responsibility of the traveller. Diamond Travel bookers will not book any travel for partners or dependents The Travel Authorisation Form must be completed to authorise and document the arrangements for separating business and non-business expenditure in these circumstances. Please note that this form is only available on Diamond's intranet. All insurance requirements needed for any non-business part of the trip or insurance cover needed for the employee’s partner or dependents, must be pre-arranged and paid for independently by those travelling.
If you are a Diamond Employee who is an investigator on Peer Reviewed Research or in-house Diamond research (excluding beamline commissioning), you can ask the User Office to provide accommodation or a taxi home provided you are an investigator nominated for Diamond financial support in accordance with the Financial Support and Expenses Procedure for Diamond Users. The User Office will provide accommodation at the most convenient hotel that they can source (ideally Ridgeway House, but this cannot be guaranteed). Diamond Employees will not be provided with subsistence during beamtime.
If you are a Diamond Employee and business travel is necessary on a pre-agreed non-working day, time off in lieu can be taken. When this time is taken needs to be agreed with your Line Manager and booked on HR Online using TOIL for Travel. If you are travelling for less than 3.5 hours you can then book half a day, if you are travelling for more than 3.5 hours you can book a full day.
Queries regarding reimbursement of expenses should be sent to expenses@diamond.ac.uk.
We will make payment within two weeks of your claim being approved via electronic bank transfer and you will receive a remittance and/or email confirming payment.
We will only make payment to the person who actually paid the costs. If, for example, one person paid for a meal for two people, that person needs to claim reimbursement of the expense incurred (naming the two individuals who the claim relates to).
General
All travel for Diamond business should be booked by Diamond Travel Bookers and there will not be a need to claim reimbursement of these expenses. In exceptional circumstances or where necessary, and with the appropriate authorisation, you may book your own travel for Diamond business. Any travel (eg taxi, train etc) that is taken without the appropriate pre-authorisation, will be classed as an ‘exceptional circumstance’. This will require Accounts Payable to forward your expense claim to be approved/rejected by the CFO & Deputy CEO Director of Finance & Corporate Services. Business travel is defined as travel undertaken on behalf of the company and excludes your normal commute to and from Diamond. Each claim sent for ‘exceptional circumstance’ will be considered as follows in line with good practice:
a. Business requisite – The decision will be based on whether the expense was necessary for a business purpose.
b. Policy limitations - Existing policy limitations will be considered where applicable.
c. Judgement – The CFO & Deputy CEO as the authoriser will substantiate and decide on whether the claim is a “valid exception which will be reimbursed”.
Where you have booked your own travel on Diamond business, we will only reimburse claims for travel in connection with our business which are based on the actual amount incurred (which must be reasonable) provided the most economical means of practicable transport has been used.
Diamond acquires its own travel insurance which covers all Diamond staff when travelling on company business, in the UK and abroad while using public/pre-booked transport. If you are utilising your own car/motorbike, further business car travel insurance would need to be purchased (if your current policy doesn’t already include business travel) and details provided to Diamond Travel Bookers. This extra business travel insurance will not be reimbursed. A copy of the insurance details can be obtained from Diamond Travel Bookers. All insurance requirements needed for any non-business part of the trip or insurance cover needed for the employee’s partner or dependents, must be pre-arranged and paid for independently by those travelling.
All overseas travel must be approved by the Budget Owner (Budget Owners travel to be approved by the Divisional Director) (using the Travel Authorisation Form) and booked by Diamond Travel Bookers. No travel will be booked until the approved form has been received. Any extra time required to travel on your preferred mode of transport, would need to be taken from your annual/flexi leave.
If you need to travel between Diamond and Oxford, you should consider using the Science Transit Shuttle. It provides a frequent and express minibus service connecting the Harwell campus with Oxford and the Old Road Campus in Headington.
When travelling, you should use your existing travel cards or season tickets wherever possible.
The following are not treated as tarvel in connection with Diamond's business:
We will not be liable and will not reimburse costs that you incur in respect of accidents, penalty fares or fines for parking or driving offences. You should ensure that you are appropriately insured and that you pay any such fines or penalties. Any administrative costs that arise from hire car companies relating to any such fines or penalties is the responsability of the individual to pay.
Congestion, toll and car parking charges may be claimed where appropriate, provided a receipt is submitted, except where it meets the requirements for self-declaration (section 3.4). Wherever possible, public transport should be used to avoid incurring these charges. Diamond will not reimburse any fines relating to non-payment of congestion, toll or car parking charges.
A key consideration when travelling, either within the UK or abroad, is your safety. Please refer to the guidelines for Safety when Travelling on Company Business.
Please note that it is illegal to hold a phone or satellite navigation device while driving in the UK and under no circumstances should mobile phones be held whilst driving.
Rail Travel
Rail travel must be undertaken in standard class unless another class of travel is cheaper or there is a business need for travel in a different class and it has been pre-approved by the Divisional Director. Tickets should be booked through Diamonds Travel Bookers.
We recognise that the logistics of travel arrangements (particularly during incidents, emergencies, or for meetings arranged at short notice) mean that there can be no hard and fast rules about rail tickets. Where possible, you should make your travel arrangements well in advance as this helps maximise the opportunity to take advantage of cheaper, fixed-time advance purchase tickets. You should avoid booking open and flexible return tickets because these are generally more expensive than tickets for trains at fixed times. Where necessary, you may purchase open tickets, but the option of buying two single tickets, one fixed and one open for the return journey should be considered. Receipts are required except where it meets the requirements for self-declaration (section 3.4).
We do not pay for rail cards, but we will reimburse Oyster card usage when proof of the cost of the business journey undertaken is provided with a printed statement.
Travel by Taxi
Taxis should be booked through Diamond Travel Bookers where possible and may only be used when:
When you submit your claim for reimbursement of the costs of travel by taxi, you must detail the reason why a taxi was necessary.
Bus/Coach Travel
You should use public transport wherever possible. Preference should be to book bus/coach tickets in advance to help maximise the opportunity of cheaper advance purchase tickets. Receipts are required except where it meets the requirements for self-declaration (section 3.4).
Car Hire
You should use public transport (or a taxi in appropriate circumstances) in preference to driving yourself. You may however, where it is cost effective to do so, and where you have prior approval from your Budget Owner or Diamond Host, hire an appropriate car for the purposes of business travel.
Cars should be hired from large, well-recognised organisations wherever possible and should only be used where cheaper forms of public transport are not available or are not feasible for the business journey to be undertaken. Cars hired for Diamond business cannot be used for personal use and no private passengers should be carried unless this is part of a pre-authorised combined business/personal journey.
With the approval of your Budget Owner or Diamond Host, you may drive the hire car between your place of work and home if the business journey commences before, or finishes after normal working hours.
Cars must be hired through Diamond Travel Bookers and an up to date Permit to Drive must be obtained. However, overseas car hire often must be booked and paid for by the driver. This is due to the requirement by the overseas car hire company to present a valid credit card in the name of the driver when collecting the vehicle.
Fuel costs for cars that you hire will be reimbursed provided an associated receipt is submitted. Unless specifically agreed in advance, Diamond will not pay surcharges such as those incurred for not refuelling hire cars prior to their return.
When a hire car is required overseas, you will be required to confirm that any additional insurance charges for excess waiver etc are not already included in the insurance supplied by the hire car company and that the extra insurance taken is a valid expense. Specifically in the USA additional excess waiver charges are included in the cost, please ensure these are removed. Diamond will not reimburse this cost, due to being covered under Diamonds Travel Insurance policy.
When a hire car is required within the UK, you will not be required to purchase any additional insurance charges for excess waiver etc. Diamond’s own company Travel insurance covers you while hiring a car on Diamond Business. Any extra insurance purchased will not be reimbursed by Diamond.
Use of your own vehicle
You should use public transport (or a taxi in appropriate circumstances) in preference to driving. You can however use your own vehicle on Diamond business, and business mileage can be claimed, subject to:
If you use your own vehicle for travel from Diamond, you may claim a mileage allowance for the actual business mileage travelled. If your travel starts at home and/or ends at home, you will be entitled to claim a mileage allowance for the total number of miles travelled minus the mileage for your normal commute to work and home, irrespective of how you would normally travel to work. If you have already been to and from Diamond on the same day and are travelling for business again from home the full mileage will be reimbursed. If you are travelling on a non-working day full mileage will be reimbursed. Your claim will need to state this.
The current rates for mileage claims, in line with the HMRC tax free limits, are as follows:
Please keep your own record of business mileage incurred as you may need to provide this information to HMRC.
Air Travel
All air travel must be appropriately authorised in advance of booking and booked though Diamond Travel Bookers who will book with Key Travel. The only exception to this is where it can be demonstrated that online air travel booking is cheaper, in which case it may be booked by you directly, but the usual advance travel must be approved; with the confirmation that the cost is the same/cheaper from the Diamond Travel Booker attached to the travel authorisation form The cost of booking seat selection and extra luggage will be reimbursed if the total cost remains cheaper or the same as the Diamond Travel Bookers quote Diamond Travel Bookers will not book flights for partners or dependants.
First class and business class air travel is not permitted. The only exceptions to this are where:
A reasonable adjustment needs to be made for a medical need, which should be agreed with the Divisional Director in advance, and in which case business class travel may be authorised.
In exceptional cases, you would like to travel premium economy and (1) The flight is longer than 8 hours; (2) You need to work on the flight; and (3) You are expected to go straight into an important meeting on arrival. You will need to have this approved in advance by the Divisional Director, setting out details of how the criteria have been met.
We will not reimburse costs to upgrade your flight, including VIP lounges or priority boarding or seat selection (unless covered under 5.7.1). Onboard Wi-Fi will be reimbursed if the cost is deemed a business need and is pre authorised on the travel form.
All accommodation for Diamond business should be booked by Diamond Travel Bookers and there will not be a need to claim reimbursement of these expenses. In exceptional circumstances or where necessary, and with the appropriate authorisation, you may book your own travel for Diamond business. If you are required to stay away overnight in the course of your duties it should be approved by the Budget Owner in advance (the form is available here). Diamond Travel Bookers will book your accommodation through Key Travel or directly, whichever is the most cost effective.
If you have a preference for your accommodation, this should be discussed with the Diamond Travel Booker booking your accommodation before it is booked. It may be possible for you to book your own travel and claim reimbursement, provided this is appropriately approved in advance. Where you have booked your own accommodation and are claiming reimbursement of the costs, you must include your approval form with your claim. Diamond will not reimburse accommodation costs that have been incurred by you without completing the necessary form and consulting a Diamond Travel Booker.
We will not book accommodation that offers levels of luxury in excess to the needs of the business or those that would be inappropriate for a public sector organisation. The only exception to this would be where the conference being attended provides on-site accommodation.
When travelling on Diamond business, Diamond Employees and pre-authorised third parties will be entitled to claim up to £66 per day for all meals, drinks and snacks, provided such costs are incurred in accordance with the Expenses Policy and this procedure, (water is excluded from the daily limits and will be reimbursed with appropriate receipts/self-declaration form up to the amount of £10.00 per day) and with the following amounts serving as guidelines and are particularly relevant when travelling for just part of a day:
Guidelines
Examples: (drinks refers to either alcoholic or soft drinks
Water during a meal can be reimbursed as either within the 2 drinks per meal limit or within the daily water allowance.
Receipts are required except where it meets the requirements for self-declaration (section 3.4).
Notwithstanding the provisions of 6.4 above, when travelling on Diamond business to a country listed below, Diamond employees and pre-authorised third parties will be entitled to claim up to £88 per day for all meals, drinks and snacks, provided such costs are incurred in accordance with the Expenses Policy and this procedure, and with the amounts in 6.4 serving as guidelines:
| Australia | Italy | Singapore | Switzerland |
| Canada | Jordan | South Korea | Taiwan |
| Denmark | Netherlands | Spain | USA |
| France | Poland |
Receipts are required except where it meets the requirements for self-declaration (section 3.4).
Notwithstanding the provisions of 6.4 and 6.5 above, when travelling on Diamond business to a conference where the conference dinner cannot be booked in advance by a Diamond Travel Booker, Diamond employees and pre-authorised third parties will be entitled to claim up to £100 for the conference dinner, provided such costs are incurred in accordance with the Expenses Policy and this procedure.
The following items will not be reimbursed by Diamond: Alcohol that is not part of an evening meal; accommodation minibar costs; movies; personal phone call charges; mobile accessories; laundry services and personal hygiene items.
Diamond will not reimburse any passport costs.
Diamond will reimburse PCR tests and visa costs that are incurred in order to visit a country on Diamond business, provided they have been pre-authorised by the Budget Owner. Receipts are required except where it meets the requirements for self-declaration (section 3.4).
Diamond will reimburse costs incurred by Diamond Employees for UK work visa and Indefinite Leave to Remain applications as set out in the Work Visa Reimbursement Policy and Procedure Please note that this document is only available on Diamond's intranet. If you need any assistance, please contact expenses@diamond.ac.uk.
The cost of an international driving licence and any vaccination costs will be reimbursed by Diamond where there is a clear business need for incurring the cost and it has been pre-authorised by Diamond’s Divisional Director.
Diamond expects you to travel with your own telephone and equipment, unless we have provided you with a mobile for your role. We will not reimburse the purchase of chargers, adapters or personal items. In exceptional circumstances, the cost of replacing any accessory provided by Diamond that breaks during a business trip that needs to be replaced during the trip will be reimbursed.
In the event that a mobile is not provided for your role and you incur reasonable call charges for Diamond business over and above your ordinary monthly call charges, such call charges will be reimbursed.
Diamond recognises many roles are enhanced by membership of a professional body. Diamond Employees are encouraged to belong to a relevant body that is directly related to their role within Diamond. Diamond will pay for one annual membership fee per year (this includes registration fees or membership subscriptions). Receipts are required except where it meets the requirements for self-declaration (section 3.4).
If you belong to, or are eligible to join more than one professional body, and they are both relevant to your role at Diamond, it is for you to decide, which professional body’s fee should be paid by Diamond. Diamond Employees who publish peer-review journal articles through open access may be eligible for additional professional subscriptions where a direct benefit to Diamond is identified, this will require pre-approval from your Divisional Director for your first claim. Future claims do not require annual pre-approval from your Divisional Director and will be approved.
For Diamond Employees, we will make a financial contribution towards the costs associated with the use of glasses/contact lenses every two years where they are required for visual display unit use. In exceptional cases, we may reimburse the costs of an eye test (and if required, spectacles/contact lenses) for Diamond Employees annually where a doctor or optician recommends an annual eye test and confirms this with a written certificate. For further details, please see Diamond’s DSE Policy. This policy is only available on Diamond's intranet. If you need assistance please contact policies@diamond.ac.uk.
Current rates for reimbursement are:
All conference fees should be paid for through Diamond Travel Bookers and there will not be a need to claim reimbursement of these expenses. In exceptional circumstances or where necessary, and with the appropriate authorisation, using the Travel Authorisation Form, you may book your own conference for Diamond business. No conference fee will be paid until the approved form has been received. This could arise for virtual conferences. Receipts are required except where it meets the requirements for self-declaration (section 3.4).
All photocopying and printing should be raised as a purchase order in eProc.
All consumable materials, tools and research books should be raised as a purchase order in eProc.
Any accessory that breaks during a business trip for a Diamond computer will be reimbursed.
This procedure may be amended by Diamond from time-to-time and it shall be your responsibility to comply with the terms of the amended procedure from the date of publication on our website.
Diamond’s Directors have overall responsibility for this Policy and have delegated the day-to-day responsibility for its operation to the Head of Finance. Any queries or suggestions relating to this Policy should be addressed to the Accounts Payable Team and sent to expenses@diamond.ac.uk.
This procedure was last updated on 27 January 2025.
For the purposes of this procedure, the following definitions shall apply:
Diamond: Diamond Light Source Ltd, a company incorporated and registered in England and Wales, with company number 4375679 and with registered office at Diamond House, Harwell Science & Innovation Campus, Didcot, Oxfordshire, OX11 ODE, United Kingdom.
Diamond Host: The Diamond Employee hosting you while you are at Diamond.
Diamond Travel Booker: This is typically Science Travel and Divisional Personal Assistants.
Diamond Users: Diamond Users shall include Peer Reviewed Users, Proprietary Users and the following persons making use of Diamond Facilities: scientists and engineers from academia, research councils and charitable institutions, researchers from commercial and non-commercial organisations and Diamond Employees.
Diamond Employee: Any person working for Diamond under a contract of employment and any Diamond director or office holder.
Peer Reviewed User: A researcher conducting research using Diamond Facilities that has been evaluated by others working in the same field, is conducted under an Experimental Proposal and for which there is an obligation to publish publishable results.
Proprietary User: A researcher conducting research using Diamond Facilities and for which there is no obligation to publish the results as a result of an agreement which Diamond has entered into with a third party or where the research is not Peer Reviewed Research.
Use of “we”, “us” or “our” shall refer to Diamond Light Source Ltd.
Use of “you” or “your” shall refer to Diamond Employees and/or (as appropriate) third parties that have been pre-authorised to incur expenses to be reimbursed by Diamond.
Diamond Light Source is the UK's national synchrotron science facility, located at the Harwell Science and Innovation Campus in Oxfordshire.
Copyright © Diamond Light Source
Diamond Light Source Ltd
Diamond House
Harwell Science & Innovation Campus
Didcot
Oxfordshire
OX11 0DE
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Registered in England and Wales at Diamond House, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Didcot, Oxfordshire, OX11 0DE, United Kingdom. Company number: 4375679. VAT number: 287 461 957. Economic Operators Registration and Identification (EORI) number: GB287461957003.
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