MP travel

IPSA funds travel and travel-related subsistence costs when in support of the MP's parliamentary functions. This can include travel by public transport, private transport, taxis and hire cars.

IPSA will fund an MP’s travel and subsistence costs for:

• Journeys between London and the MP’s constituency

• Journeys within the MP’s constituency

• Extended UK travel

• Journeys to and from other countries in Europe

• Family, carer and dependant travel

Travel can be undertaken by different modes of transport. Funding is provided for:

• Rail travel , railcards and season tickets

• Air travel

• Car, motorcycle and bicycle mileage

• Car parking and toll charges

• Taxis

• Hire cars

Non-London area MPs can choose to claim for travel to Westminster from outside of London daily instead of claiming accommodation costs.

Extended UK travel

MPs can request funding for extended UK travel if the journey is outside the constituency and not the routine journey between the constituency and Westminster.

European travel

MPs can request funding for journeys to and from other countries in Europe for parliamentary purposes. No other international travel, including to overseas territories of European countries, will be funded by IPSA except where Parliament is recalled.

See more guidance on European travel.

Family, carer and dependant travel

See guidance on travel for MPs’ family members, carers and dependants.

Rail travel claims, railcards and season tickets

For journeys made by rail, reimbursement will be limited to the rate of an 'anytime standard open' ticket for the journey at the time of the funding request.

Upgrades to first-class accommodation on public transport – which can sometimes be purchased on board or via a third-party app – cannot be reimbursed unless the total is less than an 'anytime standard open' ticket.

MPs travelling on sleeper train services are additionally entitled to request funding for a sleeper supplement for a single occupancy berth.

MPs may request funding for the cost of a railcard or season ticket that allows savings to be made on future purchases of rail tickets for parliamentary journeys.

Rail delay refunds

When rail journeys are cancelled or delayed, you may be eligible for a refund or compensation.

Any refunds for the cost of a journey previously claimed from IPSA must be repaid. Any compensation received for delayed journey may also be repaid to IPSA.

If you are yet to make a claim for the cost, you should only claim for the total amount minus any compensation received from the train operator.

See guidance on repayment options and the form you should send to us to confirm a repayment has been made.

Air travel

MPs can buy a ticket of any class but reimbursement is limited to the rate of an economy class ticket available at the time of booking.

In the case of air travel, 'economy' includes 'flexible economy'.

Air miles or similar loyalty benefits or discounts gained from parliamentary travel should be put towards future parliamentary travel.

Car, motorcycle and bike mileage

Private cars, motorcycles or bicycles may be used as an alternative to public transport.

An MP undertaking a journey by private transport will be reimbursed according to the rates set by Parliament and administered by HMRC.

If these rates change, IPSA will reimburse claims according to the new rates from the date at which they take effect.

If using a private car for a journey with a parliamentary purpose, IPSA will not reimburse the cost of business use car insurance. Any MP or MP staff member using their personal vehicle for business use is advised to ensure their car insurance policy allows this. Often this means that both comprehensive and business cover are required, and this should be checked with the individual insurance provider.

Car mileage rate (covering business travel by private car)

45p per mile for the first 10,000 miles in a year, 25p per mile thereafter.

Motorcycle mileage rate (covering business travel by private motorcycle)

24p per mile.

Bicycle mileage rate (covering business travel by private bicycle)

20p per mile rate.

Car park and toll charges

MPs using private transport for parliamentary business journeys and not commutes may request reimbursement of the costs of parking charges, congestion and ultra-low emission zone charging and road tolls including for hybrid and electric vehicles.

Penalty charges or additional charges for late payment or civil charges for traffic, parking or other violations will not be reimbursed.

Taxis

Taxi fares will only be reimbursed when a journey by taxi is necessary because:

• no other reasonable method of transport is available for all or part of the journey;

• alternative methods of transport are impracticable due to pregnancy, disability, illness or injury of the MP or staff member;

• MPs have been working on parliamentary business after 10pm; or

• there are security concerns.

Find out more about late-night working on parliamentary matters.

MPs and staff who have safety concerns about a particular journey – for example, where they are travelling through an area that is isolated or where a protest is happening – can use their judgement about whether to take a taxi instead of walking or taking public transport.

When requesting funding, they should select 'security' as the reason. Concerns about ongoing security risks should be raised in the first instance with the Members’ and Members' Staff Security Support Services (MSSS) team in the House of Commons so that they can be assessed by security specialists.

Hire cars

Hire cars may be used where there is no reasonable alternative. It is expected that these circumstances will be exceptional and limited, and the use of a hire car is not intended to be a replacement for owning and using your own car.

MPs may request funding for the cost of hiring the vehicle and of any fuel used and insurance purchased.

Evidence required for funding requests

MPs must retain and submit with funding requests any booking confirmations, invoices or receipts to show the journey and costs. You can get more information using the IPSA funding handbook. Please contact your account manager before booking any travel if you are unsure.

When requesting funding for taxi journeys or hire cars, MPs must include a note on the reasons for doing so rather than using other transport.

For European travel funding requests, you must include the purpose of the travel including if it is for an APPG, and confirm that no other funding is available for this travel.

Guidance updated on April 2026.

The maximum funding available is the standard open fare or mileage for a direct trip between the start and end point of the original intended journey, i.e. no costs will be reimbursed for the personal (or non-parliamentary) detour.

IPSA will not provide travel funding for MPs in relation to their ministerial and trade envoy duties or work relating to delegations to an international assembly.

Travel won't be funded for any other purposes excluded by the Funding Scheme.

International travel

No funding is provided for travel to or from another country outside of Europe unless due to a recall of Parliament.

You can find more information about funding costs incurred by a recall of Parliament below.

Commuting

IPSA does not fund travel costs relating to a commute, i.e. a regular journey to and from one's place of work.

For a London-area MP, both the journey between their London-area residence and their constituency office and the journey between their London-area residence and Westminster are considered commutes.

For a non-London-area MP, the journey between their constituency residence and the constituency office and the journey between their London residence and Westminster are considered commutes.

Private or personal journeys and journeys between any other home, residence (or another place) and the normal place of work are considered commutes.

For MPs, this includes staying at a location other than their constituency or London residence for personal reasons but travelling to their constituency office or Westminster to begin work.

Exceptions to the commuting rule

The only exception to the commuting rule is that when working after 10pm on parliamentary matters, MPs may claim the cost of a taxi to return to their London-area residence or to a London-area hotel.

If this journey is undertaken before 10pm, it cannot be funded.

Example of a commute

An MP travels 15 miles from home to work in their constituency office. In completing this journey, they pay a congestion charge and then pay to park in the local car park.

None of these costs can be funded by IPSA.

Occasionally they stay with friends in a location 50 miles away from their constituency office. As the stay at their friend’s house is for personal reasons, the journey to their place of work from that location is considered commuting and cannot be funded by IPSA.

Guidance updated on April 2026.

To meet our regulatory principles of parliamentary purpose and integrity, the main reason for the journey must have a parliamentary purpose and the journey should not provide any personal advantage.

Value for money must be considered. The journey and ticket type must be the best value for money available at the time of purchase.

Mileage

An MP would like to hold a constituency event away from the constituency office in the local town hall as a larger venue is required to accommodate more people. The MP travels via car straight from home instead of travelling to the constituency office first. This is the most efficient and cost-effective option, and addresses current security concerns.

This journey has a parliamentary purpose, there is no personal gain and it represents value for money. The MP is therefore able to request funding for the mileage.

International travel

An MP has been invited to attend a conference in France that focuses on improving joint public transport links. The MP has experience in this area and has several businesses within their constituency that would be impacted by this work. The MP would like to claim for standard return train fares and taxi costs.

The journey is for a parliamentary purpose, is not for personal reasons, is value for money and is within Europe. The costs are therefore claimable.

Mileage

An MP has been invited to speak at an event and receive an award outside of their constituency. The event is being run by the MP’s political party and focuses on how to run campaigns and the process of standing to be an MP. The MP would like to travel by car and claim the mileage costs.

The journey is not for a parliamentary purpose and is therefore not claimable.

International travel

An MP has been invited to attend a conference in Mexico regarding environmental policy, which the MP has a special interest in. The MP would like to claim for air travel and taxi costs.

The journey is not within Europe and is therefore not claimable from IPSA.

In the event of a recall of Parliament during recess, IPSA will provide funding for any reasonable travel by MPs and their spouses, partners or dependants to Westminster or their London area residence.

This includes international travel back to the UK, including from countries outside of Europe and if necessary return travel to a foreign location, from which they were recalled.

MPs must have consideration for value for money and are expected to claim for standard class or equivalent fares unless they have no alternative or there is a more cost-effective option.

Guidance updated on April 2026.

Is the main and underlying reason for this journey only for parliamentary purposes?

Could this be seen as a personal journey with a parliamentary purpose ‘bolted on’ to allow it to be funded?

Are the journey route and type of travel the best value for money?

Are the ticket types selected the best value for money, e.g. could you purchase 'advance' tickets instead of 'anytime'?

Is this a regular journey that you undertake as part of your role that could be considered a commute?

Before making claims for APPG travel or other activities, MPs are advised to read the Committee on Standards report on APPGs, published on 29 April 2022, which raised several concerns about the operation of some APPGs. We are working with the Committee to identify ways of strengthening regulation in this area to assure the public that taxpayer money is being spent wisely and transparently.

Contact the Parliamentary Travel Office.

For information on travel insurance, see our guidance on legal costs and insurance.

Be aware of HMRC guidance on whether the payment or reimbursement of these costs could be subject to tax.

If you are unsure how activities or spending aligns with IPSA's regulatory principles, contact your account manager or payroll officer.