Compensation paid for work trips

The employer shall pay a daily allowance for the duration of a work trip, if the destination is at a distance of over 15 km either from your apartment or from your regular workplace. A work trip does not refer to commuting between home and workplace in taxation.

The amount of the daily allowance is affected by the duration of the trip and the warm meals offered to the employee for free. If no daily allowance is paid for a work trip due to its short duration, the employee gets a meal allowance. The daily allowance is higher for trips abroad  than for trips inside Finland. The daily allowance is a tax-free benefit and the tax authorities define its amount annually.

If the employee makes the work trip with his or her own car, the employer can pay a tax-free kilometre allowance for the use of the car. The tax authorities define the amount of the kilometre allowance annually.

A travel expense report must be submitted to the employer for each work trip. Often an electronic travel expense system or a form created by the workplace is in use. Receipts, such as flight tickets, train tickets and accommodation costs are attached to the travel expense report.