DFID employees are entitled to claim a range of allowances and expenses in order to recompense them for the work they carry out in either the UK or overseas. The payment of such allowances and expenses is governed by the guidance provided in the Civil Service Management Code. Travel and Subsistence allowances are currently under review and details will be published as soon as possible. Other allowances and expenses include:
DFID employees are occasionally required to work extra hours over and above their contracted hours, which are 37 hours per week in East Kilbride and 36 hours per week in London. Employees are entitled to claim overtime in the form of a payment or time off in lieu. The amount depends on the employee’s grade and the day of the week the overtime is worked.
The nature of DFID’s business may require employees to travel to another location to work for a short time, attend meetings or conferences, or participate in training courses. Official travel of this nature should generally be undertaken during office hours. However, where the travel is outside of normal working hours, employees are entitled to claim the additional time spent travelling in the form of a payment or time off in lieu.
Travel time rates vary according to when an employee travels.
On-call Allowance is payable to staff who have a specific rostered commitment to remain continuously and immediately available to be called back to work within an agreed timeframe, or to provide support from home outside normal office hours. This will usually mean remaining at home or, by prior agreement, within a prescribed travelling distance no further than the employee’s usual home to office commute.
Duty Officer Allowance is payable to staff who have a specific rostered commitment to remain continuously and immediately contactable outside of normal working hours (i.e. after the normal working day during the week or at weekends and public holidays).
Government Departments sometimes find it difficult to recruit and retain suitably skilled employees in certain specialist roles. In these cases, they can ask for a Pay Board to be set up to decide whether a Market Allowance may be payable to certain groups of employees to encourage them to join and stay in the department. In DFID, two departments have posts that attract Market Allowances. They are:
Information Systems Department (ISD); and Internal Audit Department (IAD).
Certain employees who work in these Private Offices are regularly required to work for longer than the standard working week of 36 hours. This may involve working in the evening, at weekends in the UK or on overseas visits. These employees are paid this allowance in lieu of any overtime.
The allowance is paid to employees who have line management responsibility for organising and overseeing the work of other DFID staff members who are in the same or higher grade.
When an internal department needs to fill a vacancy on a temporary basis, and cannot identify someone in the same grade to fill the post, it may be offered to an employee in a lower grade, usually in the same line management chain, on temporary promotion. Employees on temporary promotion are paid an Acting Allowance. The Acting Allowance is equal to the difference between the employee’s substantive salary and the minimum salary of their temporary grade.
Employees who have been asked by DFID to change their normal working pattern or location for business reasons can claim additional childcare costs. All employees who have childcare responsibilities can claim this allowance.
Travel by train is strongly encouraged wherever possible. This is more environmentally friendly and provides a more appropriate environment to work during the journey. All journeys of up to 5 hours (by train or air) will be in standard/economy class (including Eurostar). Travel on the sleeper train will be standard class. Solo occupancy of a cabin is allowed in standard class (on payment of a supplement). The presumption is that journeys of over 5 hours will also be in standard/economy class, unless there is a good and clear business case to travel Premium Economy or Business Class. This will depend on factors such as the overall journey time, whether travel is during the day or overnight, and whether the staff member is required to go straight into a duty day on arrival in country or the UK; or there are medical or disability reasons.
Employees travelling overseas for work purposes may claim reimbursement of actual necessary additional expenses they have incurred in connection with their travel. Additional expenses are likely to cover meals, incidental expenses and local travel. All expense claims must be authorised by the employee's line manager and receipts provided to support the claim.
This is paid to employees travelling overseas on short visits who are staying in locations where there is a real threat of terrorist attack or kidnap etc This is paid as compensation for being exposed to the same risks as employees fulfilling long term assignments.
For short visits overseas i.e. a period of under four months, employees can claim a clothing allowance to allow them to purchase necessary clothing which is suitable for travelling to DFID countries where the temperature is significantly higher, or lower, than in the UK. This allowance can only be claimed every three years.
Employees who travel overseas frequently for short duty visits of between one week and four months can claim assistance with the cost of purchasing a suitcase or to replace one which has become worn. This allowance can only be claimed every four years.
This is paid to help with the additional expenses incurred when moving abroad. As the pattern of these expenses varies from person to person, and in line with family circumstances, this is a fixed rate payment dependant on the make up of the family and the duration of the posting.
COLA is paid to cover the additional living costs incurred by employees and their families who are living and working overseas.
Hardship Allowance is paid to compensate employees and their families for the problems faced in working in extremely difficult environments.
This is paid to ensure that the children of our employees are educated to the same standard they would receive if their parents were living and working in the UK. In many of the countries where DFID operates the local education system is not of the same standard as the UK and so parents can use this allowance to either pay for suitable private schooling overseas or contribute to boarding school fees in the UK.
Some employees posted overseas are required to represent DFID at official functions in their own time and they receive a Representational Allowance to cover this. The allowance is intended to cover the employee’s time and to allow them to purchase necessary new clothing which is appropriate for the event, regular cleaning costs and to assist with extra wear and tear on the employees vehicle which may be used as transport on these occasions.
Partners of DFID employees who accompany them overseas often have to give up employment prior to moving abroad. These partners may also be giving up pension entitlements as a result of this action. DFID therefore pays a compensation payment to partners who had to give up employment to enable them to accompany our employees overseas. In order to claim for this allowance evidence must be provided to show that the partner was legitimately employed prior to accompanying the employee overseas.
It is often difficult for partners to keep up to date with the skills that are necessary to enable them to rejoin the job market on return. DFID therefore offers a sponsorship scheme to allow partners to participate in training to either enhance skills or learn new ones which will help with re-employment at the end of an overseas assignment. DFID will reimburse, directly to the partner, course costs, registration fees and examination fees up to a limit for an overseas assignment of 12 months or more. This allowance is taxable and it is the partners responsibility to declare this to HM Revenue and Customs.
In line with the Civil Service Management Code, DFID provides its employees working overseas with rent free accommodation, suitable for their family needs. Where such accommodation is not available, DFID will reimburse the cost of renting a property taking account of the levels of rent for other properties in the area.
DFID meets the cost of utility charges on its overseas properties to ensure our employees are not out of pocket as a result of taking up an overseas posting, since many also have to maintain a home in the UK.
Employees posted overseas are provided with furnished accommodation and are therefore entitled to take personal effects from home for use at post. This helps employees settle quicker into a new environment. The amount of the freight allowance varies according to the size of the family as follows
All weights are exclusive of packaging and over-casing and do not include the accompanied baggage entitlement on employees’ flight tickets.
Many employees also wish to put some of their goods in their home country into storage so that they are safe and secure during their posting. The maximum amount which can be stored is 20cbm.
DFID will meet the costs of insuring employees effects while in store in the UK, in transit to and from post, and for effects in the “home” at post.
Employees posted overseas will normally not have access to free medical or dental treatment in the same way as in the UK. DFID therefore reimburses employees for the cost of necessary medical or dental treatment. Employees, and families, overseas are covered by independent medical insurance, through International SOS, while they are at post or in transit - this cover provides emergency medical treatment or, in extreme cases, medical evacuation to the nearest centre of excellence.
DFID occasionally requires employees to move from one of our HQs to the other to meet business needs. If this happens the employee is reimbursed for costs which are incurred in selling their home at the old location and buying one at the new post. DFID will also meet other specified costs for a limited period, to ensure the employee is not out of pocket as a result of the move. Other costs include excess fares, continuing commitment costs is the old home is not sold, and actual removal expenses.
DFID occasionally needs to move employees between our HQs to complete specific pieces of work. In order to meet this business need DFID allows employees to temporarily transfer while maintaining full links with their home location - including weekend travel home. Detached duty is for a maximum period of three years.
Employees on detached duty are entitled to paid accommodation and to be reimbursed the cost of utilities. Other expenses are reimbursed to ensure that employees are not out of pocket as a result of the detached duty.
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