CIS | Feltham
Depot Fit-Outs and Airport-Perimeter Jobs: the Feltham Subbie's Guide to Travel Deductions
Feltham works where the lorries park. The logistics sheds, cargo depots and last-mile warehouses around the Heathrow perimeter generate constant fit-out, racking, electrical and maintenance work, and the trades doing it bounce between TW13, TW14 and half of West London every week. All of that bouncing is money, if it makes it onto the tax return.
What the perimeter pattern is worth
A dryliner doing depot fit-outs with stretches on hotel refurbs and domestic jobs typically logs 9,000 to 12,000 business miles a year. At HMRC's simplified rates (45p for the first 10,000 miles, 25p after) that is £4,000 to £5,000 of deductions before tools, boards, PPE or phone are counted, roughly £800 to £1,000 of refund at the basic rate, from travel alone.
The Feltham specifics
- Short hops still count. Five small journeys a day between perimeter sites add up faster than one long commute. Log them all.
- Airport parking on jobs is claimable for business visits; keep the app receipts.
- Materials runs to the merchants are business miles, not errands.
- Mixed days (depot in the morning, domestic job after lunch) are fine: each business leg counts.
The test HMRC applies is genuine business travel between home and genuinely temporary workplaces. The multi-site perimeter pattern passes comfortably; a single permanent depot job for years may not. We assess each pattern honestly before claiming.
Run your figures through the 60-second refund calculator, read the full CIS refund guide, or see CIS accountant in Feltham.
Frequently Asked Questions
I never logged anything this year. Can the miles still be claimed?
Usually yes: we reconstruct from your statements (who you worked for, when), site addresses and bank fuel spend. Honest reconstruction is accepted; going forward a phone app makes it effortless.
Van on finance: mileage rate or actual costs?
We calculate both. High miles in a modest van usually favours 45p; heavy finance and repair costs can favour actual costs plus capital allowances. The choice generally sticks per vehicle, so get it right early.
Do the 45p miles include fuel?
The simplified rate covers fuel, insurance, servicing, depreciation, the lot. You cannot claim fuel receipts on top of mileage; it is one method or the other.
Congestion charge days when a job goes into town?
Business journeys into the zone make the charge claimable, alongside the miles.
I rent a small lock-up for boards and tools. Claimable?
Yes, storage genuinely used for the business is an allowable cost. Keep the payment record.
My mate drives us both in. What can I claim?
Only vehicle owners claim vehicle costs. A documented fuel contribution to a genuine business journey can be your claimable travel cost instead.
Weekend domestic jobs alongside the depot work: same return?
Yes, one self-employment, both streams combined, expenses spread fairly. Done right, the CIS deductions usually cover the tax on the domestic work.
How fast is the refund after filing?
Typically 4 to 6 weeks from HMRC. File in April with records ready and the money lands by late May.
Doing perimeter miles with nothing to show for it?
Fifteen free minutes tells you what your travel pattern is worth and what refund to expect this year.
Or email info@yourtaxhelp.co.uk | CIS accountant in Feltham
General guidance only. Not personal tax advice. Contact us for advice specific to your situation. Figures relate to the 2025/26 tax year unless otherwise stated.