Legal Team
+44 (0)1235 778 577
legal@diamond.ac.uk
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 polices@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 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 here. Claims for third parties (including candidates and speakers) can be submitted via a link that will be provided upon request by contacting Diamond Finance.
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 receipt. The receipt 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 indicating the cost and for claims where specific authorisation is required, a copy of that authorisation must be included. Where the receipt is in respect of costs incurred on behalf of colleagues, their names must be clearly stated on the claim. Where travel is involved, the receipt should also show the start and end of the journey and the date of travel.
We will not reimburse expenditure if receipts do no support the expenditure. Credit card statements are not receipts and you must always provide an itemised receipt.
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.
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 policies@diamond.ac.uk if you have any queries).
Where the relevant line manager 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 occasionally 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 our discretion and only under strictly controlled circumstances. The relevant line manager and Group Leader must approve any such travel arrangements before any expenditure is incurred. 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. The Travel Authorisation Form must be completed to authorise and document the arrangements for separating business and non-business expenditure in these circumstances.
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.
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).
All travel, including conferences and virtual conferences for Diamond business should be booked by Diamond’s authorised travel bookers (typically Diamond Science Travel or the Divisional PA) 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.
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.
All overseas travel must be approved by the Group Leader or Divisional Director (using the Travel Authorisation Form) and booked by Diamond’s authorised travel bookers (typically Diamond Science Travel or the Divisional PA). No travel will be booked until the approved form has been received.
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 travel 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. If such penalties include an endorsement of your license, please advise Diamond Science Travel or the Divisional PA.
Congestion and toll charges may be claimed where appropriate, provided a receipt is submitted. Wherever possible, public transport should be used to avoid incurring these charges. Diamond will not reimburse any fines relating to non-payment of congestion 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 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 Diamond’s authorised travel bookers (typically Diamond Science Travel or the Divisional PA).
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.
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.
Taxis should be booked through Diamond’s authorised travel bookers (typically Diamond Science Travel or the Divisional PA) 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.
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 line manager 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 line manager 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’s authorised travel bookers (typically Diamond Science Travel or the Divisional PA) and an up to date Permit to Drive Form must be obtained.
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, we will reimburse the additional insurance charges that are required (this is particularly relevant when travelling in the USA).
You should use public transport (or a taxi in appropriate circumstances) in preference to driving. You can however use your own car on Diamond business, and business mileage can be claimed, subject to:
If you use your own car 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.
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.
All air travel must be appropriately authorised in advance of booking and booked though Diamond’s authorised travel bookers (typically Diamond Science Travel or the Divisional PA) 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 authorisation form and Director approval would still be required.
First class and business class air travel is not permitted. The only exceptions to this are where:
We will not reimburse costs to upgrade your flight, including VIP lounges, priority boarding or seat selection.
All accommodation for Diamond business should be booked by Diamond’s authorised travel bookers (typically Diamond Science Travel or the Divisional PA) 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 your line manager in advance (the form is available here). Diamond’s authorised travel bookers (typically Diamond Science Travel or the Divisional PA) 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 person 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 an authorised 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 £60 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 following amounts serving as guidelines:
Notwithstanding the provisions of the paragraph 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 £80 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 the paragraph above serving as guidelines:
| Australia | Japan | Singapore | Switzerland |
| Canada | Jordan | South Korea | Taiwan |
| Denmark | Netherlands | Spain | Thailand |
| France | Poland | Sweden | USA |
| Italy |
Notwithstanding the provisions above, when travelling on Diamond business to a conference where the conference dinner cannot be booked in advance by Diamond’s travel bookers, 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 Diamond’s Divisional Director.
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 policies@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 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).
If you belong to, or are eligible to join more than one professional body, it is for you to decide, in discussion with your Divisional Director, 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.
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 Display Screen Equipment 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:
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.
This procedure was last updated on 23 August 2021.
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 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.
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Diamond Light Source is the UK's national synchrotron science facility, located at the Harwell Science and Innovation Campus in Oxfordshire.
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Diamond House
Harwell Science & Innovation Campus
Didcot
Oxfordshire
OX11 0DE
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