Reimbursement of travel- and parking expenses for caregivers
As a caregiver you are sometimes subject to extra expenses for travel and parking. For instance, when you take care of someone in their own house or when visiting the hospital or care facility. In this article we’ll line up the existing reimbursements for the travel and parking expenses of caregivers.
Travel expenses
Unfortunately there is no general arrangement for reimbursement of caregivers’ travel expenses that is valid throughout The Netherlands.
Social security
Some municipalities provide compensation for the travel expenses of caregivers who are on social security. Are you on social security and do you want to receive reimbursement for your travel expenses? Inquire about this at your local government office.
Living together with someone residing in an institution
Do you live together with the person you take care of? Was this person admitted to a care facility for a longer period of time? Then, under certain conditions, your expenses for visiting the patient might be tax deductible. In that case your travel expenses will be categorized as ‘specific healthcare costs’.
The travel expenses for visiting your beloved patient are deductible under the following conditions:
You and the patient shared a household when the illness started.
You visit the patient regularly during the year.
The patient is being tended to for more than one month.
Is the patient being admitted several times a year? Then you are only allowed to deduct the travel expenses if the patient was treated at the facility for more than a month in total and for the same illness every time. In addition, the time between the periods of treatment may not exceed four weeks.
If the one-way travel distance between your place of residence and the location where the patient is being treated (measured along the most direct route) is more than 10 kilometers. (Source: belastingdienst.nl)
Public transportation: the OV-begeleiderskaart
Is the person you care for not able to travel by public transportation independently due to a limitation? In that case he or she can request a free OV-begeleiderskaart for you, and you can then travel with them for free. The OV-begeleiderskaart is valid on the train, the subway, the tram, the bus and the regional taxi (regiotaxi).
For more information about the OV-begeleiderskaart or how to apply for one, take a look at the Argonaut website ‘Regeling OV-begeleiderskaart’.
Parking
In some municipalities caregivers can obtain a parking permit. Such permit allows you to park close to the person you take care of for free, or with a discount.
Are you a caregiver and would you like to park for free, or a lot cheaper, at the residence of the person you care for? Inquire about it at the local government of the municipality where this person resides.
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