Tripometer - Business Trip Recording Made Easy!

In the Spotlight

Tripometer wins Irish Payroll Association award.

Published: November 2nd, 2007

Tripometer© the business trip recording software developed by Benchmark Fleet Services has won ‘Payroll Support Technology of the Year’ at the 2007 Irish Payroll Associations’ (IPASS) annual awards.

Commenting on the achievement company director Shane Teskey said "We're absolutely delighted to receive this award. Keeping a log of business trips is not the most enjoyable of administrative tasks and I think the secret to Tripometer’s success has been the ‘easy to use’ mobile phone interface coupled with its online logbook”.

As Payroll professionals widely accept that keeping a logbook of business journeys can be problematic for the driver and payroll manager alike, the system was designed specifically to meet the exacting standards laid down by Revenue for employees calculating BIK and / or claiming mileage reimbursement while remaining a solution that’s quick and easy to use.

Developed by Benchmark Fleet Services, Tempus Technologies and Miko Computers, Tripometer's current customers include companies such as Golden Pages, Kelloggs Ireland and Opal Telecom.

Tripometer nominated for Irish Payroll Association award.

Published: October 9th, 2007

' Tripometer', the mileage capture solution designed by Benchmark Fleet Services has been short listed in the category of Payroll Support Technology of the Year 2007.

Commenting on the nomination, Michael Howard, Finance Manager with Golden Pages said "The ability to record a business trip from the road in ‘real time’ not only gives our payroll department an excellent indication of what BIK threshold to apply to each company car driver but ensures that our records are always up to date and available for audit at any time."

The awards are to be presented at a black tie Gala Dinner at Killashee House Hotel, Naas on Thursday 1st November.

Worse than keeping a Mileage Log: An I.R.S Audit

By CHRISTOPHER ELLIOTT

Published: March 7, 2006

Of all the annoyances business travelers have to endure while on the road, not one comes close to keeping a mileage log. Airline and hotel troubles come and go, but tracking business miles is a constant.

Most business trips are done by car, and the vehicles most often used are personal or company cars in which every mile must be painstakingly recorded for tax purposes.But with the filing deadline for individual tax returns looming in April, mileage logs are turning into more than a nuisance; accounting analysts say they expect the Internal Revenue Service to be doing more audits this year, and drivers with spotty mileage records may be one group singled out.

Read full article here

Irish Revenue Crackdown

A number of audit firms in the Republic of Ireland have reported an increase in the request for logbooks and service records from Revenue Auditors. In responding to a query regarding the common practice of deducting 5,000 miles from the annual total to arrive at an annual figure for business mileage, Mr. Eamonn Corcoran, Chief Executive of the Irish Payroll Association, says that 'In our experience this is the most commonly held misconception amongst employers and accountants and it could end up costing them dearly in the event of a Revenue PAYE Audit'.

Fran Power, head of the Interpretation and Legislation branch for the Revenue Commissioners says that 'Where an employee claims that his or her private mileage is less than 5,000 miles in the year, the employer must calculate the taxable benefit by reference to a minimum of 5000 private mileage unless the employee provides evidence (which must be retained by the employer) to show that the private mileage is less.

Acceptable evidence would be a log book of business journeys and mileage involved or some other form of account of the business miles done. The private mileage can be calculated by deducting the recorded business mileage from the total mileage according to the milometer reading'.

Mileage Fraud on the Rise

COMPANY car drivers fiddling their mileage claims are contributing to an expenses fraud that is costing UK businesses billions of pounds a year. Although only a small part of overall fraud, fleets are warned that it was common practice for company motorists to ‘round up’ their business mileage expenses claims while keeping their fingers crossed that they will not get caught.

It is estimated that fraud could account for 6% of a company’s turnover – costing a small to medium-sized enterprise with a £10 million turnover up to £600,000 every year.Up to 45% of companies are victims of expense fraud and fleets are being urged to put systems in place in a bid to stamp out the problem.

Read full article here