If you’re charged excess travel or accommodation costs on a placement, you may be able to claim these.
You cannot claim if your placement is taking place on university premises. This includes a different campus than you would normally attend belonging to the university.
In all cases, your claim is authorised by your university. If you’re unsure about your claim after reading the guidance, speak to your university.
After at least one successful TDAE travel claim, you may be able to apply for an Advanced Payment for your next placement.
Travel costs
If it costs more to travel to and from your placement than it costs for your normal daily travel to and from university, you can claim the difference each day you attend placement. If it costs the same or less, you cannot claim any costs.
Excess costs are calculated daily and you must travel by the cheapest form of transport available where it's reasonably practical to do so.
If you choose to travel by another method of transport, you’ll only be reimbursed for the cheapest method of transport available.
Travel costs can include:
- public transport costs including travel passes
- mileage costs for a vehicle or bicycle
- community mileage if you must travel to other placement sites or to a patient’s home
- car, bicycle or motorised scooter hire
- parking or toll road charges
- ultra low emission zone (ULEZ) charges, if it's unavoidable to travel through the affected area
As part of your TDAE application, you must upload evidence of the costs.
For a travel pass, we’ll divide the total cost of the travel pass by the number of days you used it to attend the placement. The daily cost must be more than your normal daily return travel costs to university.
If you’re claiming for community mileage or car parking charges on their own, they must still be more than your daily return travel costs to university.
You cannot claim any extra costs for giving or receiving a lift to placement.
Car, bicycle or motorised scooter hire charges can be claimed if this was the cheapest form of transport to your placement.
The decision to approve the claim rests with your university.
Travel rates
From 1 September 2023, the reimbursement rates for travel expenses are:
- bicycle - 30p per mile
- all motor vehicles - 42p per mile
Read our website for information about the rates for placements.
Lift to university from parents or friends
If you receive lifts to university, you must add a comment to your application confirming:
- you receive a lift to university
- who that lift is from
Taxi costs
Taxi travel is only reimbursed in exceptional circumstances. Claims are assessed on a case-by-case basis.
You must include a placement timesheet for a taxi claim to be considered.
Attending a Blended course
If you’re attending a blended learning course, you do not need to deduct an amount for travel to university when claiming cost of travel to placement.
This means you should receive the full cost of your placement travel.
As part of this, the system will not ask you to provide details of your travel to university.
If you’re asked to provide these details, check the 'Course Deails' on your NHS Learning Support Fund account to make sure you’ve applied for the correct course.