For witnesses
We will not pay expenses to witnesses attending in a professional capacity, such as:
- police officers
- fire officers
- prison officers
- Lincolnshire Community Health Services NHS Trust employees
We will also not pay expenses to:
- prisoner witnesses brought to inquests
- witnesses who attend court but refuse to give evidence
Travel costs
You can only claim travel expenses to and from your home or work address and the inquest venue.
We will reimburse:
- bus fares and standard class rail fares. You must provide us with your tickets
- car mileage at 45p per mile. You must provide us with a fuel receipt containing a VAT number
- car parking charges, unless free parking is available at the inquest venue. You must provide your tickets or email receipts
- taxi fares if you are ill or disabled. You must agree to this claim with the coroner before the inquest and provide us with receipts for each journey
The Coroner's Office will verify mileage claims via an online mapping service.
Subsistence allowance
We do not provide refreshments at inquests, so a subsistence allowance is available. You can only claim for the actual cost.
| Attendance | Maximum amount |
|---|---|
| Under 5 hours per day | £2.25 |
| 5 to 10 hours per day | £4.50 |
| Over 10 hours per day | £9.75 |
Loss of earnings
You can only claim for your actual loss of earnings.
If you are employed
To claim for loss of earnings as an employee, you must provide us with your employer's email address. We will email with them a separate form to complete. They must complete this for us to approve your claim.
| Attendance | Maximum amount |
|---|---|
| Up to 4 hours per day | £32.47 |
| Over 4 hours per day | £64.95 |
We will not pay any loss of earnings to United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust employees.
If you are self-employed
We will reimburse you to compensate for your loss of profits. For tax purposes, you should treat these as business receipts.
You must provide us with proof of your self-employment, showing a direct relationship between you and your business. We will accept:
- a letter from your accountant or HMRC confirming that you are self-employed
- a copy of your subcontractor's certificate issued by HMRC
- copy of any licence you require to carry out your business
- a letter from the company to which you are subcontracting, confirming that you are self-employed
If you cannot provide any of these, we will not accept your claim.
| Attendance | Maximum amount |
|---|---|
| Up to 4 hours per day | £32.47 |
| Over 4 hours per day | £64.95 |
Giving evidence in a professional capacity
A professional witness is anyone required to give evidence as a practising member of their profession.
If you are not employing a locum to work for you in your absence, you can claim:
| Attendance | Maximum amount |
|---|---|
| Under 2 hours per day | £83.50 |
| Between 2 and 4 hours per day | £117.00 |
| Between 4 and 6 hours per day | £174.00 |
| Over 6 hours per day | £234.00 |
If you are employing a locum to work for you in your absence, you can claim:
| Attendance | Maximum amount |
|---|---|
| Under 2 hours per day | £89.00 |
| Between 2 and 4 hours per day | £125.00 |
| Over 4 hours per day | £250.00 |
Accommodation
Journeys of two hours or less, each way, from the inquest venue are 'within a commutable distance'. If you live outside the commutable distance, you may need accommodation.
You must agree these costs with the coroner before the inquest.
Childcare and carer expenses
You can claim for the cost of an Ofsted-registered childcare provider or carer while you give evidence at the inquest.
You cannot claim childcare and carer costs if you are already claiming for loss of earnings.
| Attendance | Maximum amount |
|---|---|
| Up to 4 hours per day | £32.47 |
| Over 4 hours per day | £64.95 |
Other costs
You must agree all other costs with the coroner before the inquest.