Please check IPSA’s website for updates to this Guidance.
Advances
MPs may claim payment in advance for invoices of £200 or more for any cost or expense type except reward and recognition payments and mileage. MPs can claim an advance by selecting “Yes, not yet Paid” under the information field “Advance?” on the claim form for the relevant expense type, and submitting an unpaid invoice. The MP is then required to submit a receipt within one month of our paying the advance, using the “RECEIPTS: Supporting Invoice” form.
For some types of cost or expense the supplier may not provide a receipt. These are: utility bills; telephone bills; rental claims; council tax; and business rates. For these cost and expense types, we will not expect MPs to submit any further supporting evidence after we have paid the advance.
Payment card
IPSA will on request provide MPs with a payment card which can be used to pay for:
1. travel (including tolls and congestion charges, but excluding mileage and taxis);
2. parking;
3. utilities such as electricity, water, gas and heating fuels;
4. council tax and business rates;
5. office waste collection;
6. insurance;
7. hotels;
8. TV licences;
9. stationery; and
10. constituency office telephone bills for landlines.
Each transaction is limited to £1,000, and the monthly credit limit is £4,000. IPSA may consider increases to these limits if requested by an MP.
Once a month, IPSA will send a reconciliation form to the MP’s or proxy’s account on the online expenses system, under “Claims/Forms in Progress”. The form will contain the details of each transaction the MP has made that month. MPs will need to complete the remaining details, submit the form online and send us all supporting evidence in hard copy, ideally within two weeks and at the latest within 30 days of receiving the email. If MPs do not complete their reconciliation forms within 30 days without good reason, IPSA may suspend the use of the payment card until the outstanding reconciliation forms are complete.
Use of the card may also be suspended if it is persistently or seriously used outside the Scheme. Where MPs have used the card outside the Scheme or the guidance for its use, they should select “Not Claimed, To Repay” on the reconciliation form and send IPSA a cheque.
IPSA may also seek repayment for use of the card where an MP does not reconcile after the card is suspended, or where it has determined that a purchase cannot be paid and marked it “Not Paid” on the reconciliation form.
Payments to Trainline.com
MPs can book tickets using their account IPSA generated for them on the Trainline.com website, and IPSA pays Trainline direct. MPs do not need to complete a form, reconcile the expense or send any receipts or tickets – IPSA will get all the information it needs from Trainline.
Payments to landlords
IPSA is able to make payments directly to MPs’ landlords for rental of accommodation and constituency offices, once MPs have registered their rental agreement with IPSA. MPs can request direct payments by completing the “Simplified Payments Application Form” on IPSA’s website, and sending a signed copy to IPSA.
MPs should allow 28 days for the first payment to be set up.
MPs will be notified when the payment has been set up, and IPSA will then pay the landlord automatically each month, quarter or year as appropriate until the end date of the rental agreement. While an MP’s landlord is receiving direct payments, the online expenses system will not offer the option of claiming reimbursement for rent for that property.
MPs must inform IPSA immediately if the rental agreement ends or is renewed, or if there are any changes (such as a change in the rental amount or the landlord’s payment details). For rental agreements longer than a year, once every 12 months the MP will need to confirm in writing the details of the rental agreement and that it remains in force.
Subscriptions to pooled services
IPSA can pay annual subscriptions for pooled services direct to suppliers, including the Parliamentary Resources Unit (PRU), Parliamentary Research Service (PRS), Parliamentary Office of the Liberal Democrats (POLD) and the European Research Group.
Deposit loans
As detailed in the Scheme, MPs may apply for a loan for any deposit payable at the start of a tenancy for their constituency office or accommodation. MPs can request this by completing the “Rental Property Deposit Loan Agreement” on our website, and sending it to IPSA with their final or draft rental agreement. MPs will need to repay the loan within one month of the deposit being repaid to the MP, or the rental agreement ending, or ceasing to be an MP (whichever is earliest).