In some cases, travel time to and from work counts as working time.
If an employee has a fixed place of work
If an employee has a fixed place of work (such as an office they go to every day), their regular travel time to and from work does not usually count as working time.
If an employer wants to count this travel time as working time, they can.
Travel time while at work will usually count as working time, for example when travelling:
- from one client to the next
- from an office to a meeting elsewhere
Find out about the maximum hours an employee can work in a week
If the employee has no fixed place of work
Some jobs have no fixed place of work. These are often jobs where the employee spends a lot of time visiting customers or clients. People who do this work are sometimes known as 'peripatetic workers'.
These types of jobs can include:
- care workers
- plumbers and other tradespeople
- teachers who work at different schools over the working day
- travelling salespeople
Travel between home and work is likely to count as working time for peripatetic workers. This is because during this time, the person is classed as doing work for their employer – for example, the employer may change or add tasks.
Pay when travel time counts as working time
When travel time counts as working time, the pay an employee gets depends on the terms of the employment contract.
When calculating pay the employer must follow the law on the National Minimum Wage. It includes different rules on how working time affects minimum wage calculations.
You can: