Travel allowance
Commuting and travel allowance policy
You are eligible for remuneration of your commuting expenses when you live more than 5 kilometers from the office, provided this is included in the individual employment contract. Employees can choose between claiming mileage and public transport up to a maximum of € 350,- per month. When using public transport you will use an NS Business card and when claiming mileage you will need to declare this expense via Declaree yourself. You have a maximum of 3 months to declare the expenses.
Commuting by Public Transport (OV)
There are two categories of NS Business card; one for those who take the train for commuting and one for those who only take the bus/tram/metro for commuting.
For those who travel only by bus/tram/metro, you can use your NS Business Card as necessary while staying under the €350,- travel allowance per month. You can see the costs of taking a bus/tram/metro in the NS app/website.
Train commuters receive an NS Business card with a fixed route between stations. This fixed route is at a fixed cost for Tiqets. You must take the fixed route unless you are unable to due to issues with the fixed train route (for example, trainline disturbance). Costs you make on top of this route must still fall under €350,- per month. For example, if you take the bus/tram/metro on top of this route make sure you stay under a total of € 350,- per month.
Please check with the People & Culture team what your fixed route cost is. An example: If your route cost is €100,- per month, the costs you make using bus/tram/metro or mileage must not exceed €250,- (as the travel allowance must not exceed a total of €350,-). You can see the costs of taking bus/tram/metro in the NS app/website.
If the allowance amount is exceeded this amount will be withheld from your salary. Also, good to note is that the NS Business card is a second-class card. With this card, you cannot make use of the NS first class.
Once you receive the NS Business Card you will also receive a user agreement, which you must sign to use the card for your commute. Within this agreement are the most important points for using the card, including but not limited to responsibilities if your card is stolen or lost, or you have missed a check-in/-out. You cannot use the NS Business card for personal travel, share your card with others, or use additional NS services, such as the OV Bike, P+R, etc.
With the misuse of the card, the extra costs incurred are your responsibility and will be withheld in your salary within the payroll of the following month.
If the card is lost/stolen it is your responsibility to report it via your My NS Business card account as soon as possible. You must also inform your HR Admin who can order you a new card. If you do not report this within 24 hours, the possible costs that arise will be withheld in your salary within the payroll. If your card is lost/stolen, there will be no charge for the first incident. However, for any subsequent instances of loss/damage, a deduction of €7.50 EUR Net will be made from your salary in the following month.
If you move and are no longer living more than 5 kilometers from the office, you will no longer be eligible for the NS Business Card. You must then return your card to the P&C team. If you have doubts about your distance from the office, when you change your address in Hibob your HR Admin will look into this for you.
Commuting by Private Transport (Cars/Bike)
If an employee travels by private transport, then they receive mileage allowance payments of maximum the tax allowable amount (€0.23 per km in 2024). The number of commuting kilometers is based on the route planner from the home address to the office address (anwb, shortest route, by car) within Declaree. Please note that if you bike for your commute, you must declare this as such in Declaree. This is important for measuring our CO2 emissions.
If you use an NS Business Card as well as declaring mileages, you cannot exceed the amount of €350,- per month for commuting costs.
** Please note that because of our hybrid way of working the commuting expenses will be reimbursed based on your presence at the office.