I got asked how much I was claiming and put in a claim which was rejected because I couldn’t prove the amounts. I then resubmitted for the standard rate explaining that I’d never been asked for evidence of cost
You can claim for meals taken as a result of being away from home, and you can claim up to six years back.
The reason I know this is that I was the first driver in the UK to be paid out by Inland Revenue. I was on the Drivers Committee at Smith and Robinsons Tankers, Leeds in 1970/80 and represented 250 drivers in a claim for meal allowance. This was many years ago but we were successful. Initially all the drivers received a payment of about £65 but I disputed the amount,(the chief tax inspector had slipped an illegal penalty clause in.) I put myself forward as a test case and appeared before the Tax Commissioners in Leeds. (John Langford V the Inland Revenue.) I won the case and received about £800 rebate,(you can claim 6 years back tax.) I also then received an allowance of about £600 p.a. this set a precedent which drivers could follow.
It took me about two years and I had four questions asked of the Chief Tax inspector,(at the time Lord Cockborn ?) in Parliament.
I received no help at all from TGWU in Leeds other than after I fell out big time with them and they paid for me to go see their Lawyers to check certain ideas I had and wanted to know if I was on the right lines. Following this the I.R. wouldn’t let me take it forward as a block booking and drivers had to make individual claims. I know some did successfully, quoting me as an example but most couldn’t be bothered.
You are allowed to claim allowance for meals incurred wholly and necessarily in the performance of your work ( the I.R. description of it) away from home in exactly the same way as a travelling salesman or rep.
In the months following I had the TGWU in Scotland and some others asking me how I had done it. A local accountant who was representing some Harold Woods Tanker drivers offered to do my tax free for a year if I showed him how, which I did and he accompanied me to Leeds on a visit to meet the Tax people dealing with it.
Hope this helps, the more money you can keep in your pocket the better.
P.S. We all received rebates for back claims even though we obviously couldn’t provide proof or receipts of moneys spent, so don’t let them bluff you with that one.
As far as I know you can’t claim if you receive a meal allowance from your firm.
See here viewtopic.php?f=2&t=99061
I have seen in this thread that you can also claim this if using a van. Can anybody confirm this and any advice how I could apply if different than HGV claim
Cheers stew
After months of faffing yesterday my claim was rejected! 
The 2nd letter they sent me asked me if I would like any money owed to me paid via my employer, cheque or direct into my bank account. I was checking my account every day thinking they may just pay it in and not inform me. Yesterday the third letter came informing me (in a gobbledegook way) I wasn’t entitled to anything! I’m wondering if it is because I tried claiming the tax on £5 a day as opposed to the easier (no receipts needed) £2 a day allowance.
Dico:
The 2nd letter they sent me asked me if I would like any money owed to me paid via my employer, cheque or direct into my bank account. I was checking my account every day thinking they may just pay it in and not inform me. Yesterday the third letter came informing me (in a gobbledegook way) I wasn’t entitled to anything! I’m wondering if it is because I tried claiming the tax on £5 a day as opposed to the easier (no receipts needed) £2 a day allowance.
You can only claim £5 a day if yiur company has a special dispensation arrangement with hmrc , see the link to the other topic I put in here , follow that , I had no trouble
Cheers pal. I’ll give them a ring.
Dico:
The 2nd letter they sent me asked me if I would like any money owed to me paid via my employer, cheque or direct into my bank account. I was checking my account every day thinking they may just pay it in and not inform me. Yesterday the third letter came informing me (in a gobbledegook way) I wasn’t entitled to anything! I’m wondering if it is because I tried claiming the tax on £5 a day as opposed to the easier (no receipts needed) £2 a day allowance.
This happened to me, I submitted a claim and made no mention of amount so they asked how much I wanted. I wrote back and said I spent around £3.50 per day expecting them to kick it back and offer the £2 but I got a flat refusal as I had no receipts. I wrote back on return and said that they’d never asked for them and I didn’t have any as I’d only just discovered this allowance, but had seen there was a £2 /day rate which receipts were not required for. That was about 4 weeks ago, I’m still waiting but at least they haven’t refused it yet.