as a employed driver who does nights out am i entitled to claim on my tax for items such as sleeping bags, kettles etc etc. all the usual stuff used on a night out. possibly tv,s dvd,s etc 
i never thought of this till today, but why should i cough up for all of this.
Thats why you get night out money tax free.
night out money is for subsistence and parking.
I would say no. To be allowable an expence must be necessary to enable you to carry out your job and each and every person employed in that job must have similar expence.
Do you have to have a kettle? no
Do you have to have a sleeping bag? no
You can buy a coffee anywhere, you can use the blankets off your bed at home.
Then they will ask about private use, you can use the sleeping bag and kettle when not on the road.
That is one of the reasons why company logos are on uniforms, they consider a company logo on a Polo shirt unsuitable for private use (wearing them when not at work)
A few years ago a young female solicitor lost her claim for formal dress wear when she tried to claim for the dark suits she had to wear for work saying words to the effect that she would not be seen dead going out in those clothes but the ruling was “Each and Every Person”
Sorry ------------but you get nothing if you don’t try
and I would try!!! you never know you might just get a friendly Tax Officer
You do meet an occasional one now and again, not very often I agree
The simple answer is no. Keelman was exactly right. The items must be for use wholly, exclusively and necessarily in the course of your business. These items do not meet the criteria. The only things that would are safety equipment.
Vanessa
Ex inland Revenue
Claim everything you need to run yoyr business, so long as it is needed.
You can write your car, van, land rover or pick up truck off as a need. 
Write two of and send me a land rover
dave:
night out money is for subsistence and parking.
Night out money isn’t for parking, it’s for expenses incurred by the driver, meals, showers etc… The parking of the truck should be down to the firm to pay, not the driver.
Nessa:
The simple answer is no. Keelman was exactly right. The items must be for use wholly, exclusively and necessarily in the course of your business. These items do not meet the criteria. The only things that would are safety equipment.Vanessa
Ex inland Revenue
I’ve always claimed for my truck bedding and never had a problem with the Inland Revenue. A new duvet and pillows every year and a couple of sets of duvet covers and sheets. My accountant also claims for the laundering of the bedding and that gets allowed as well. I also claim for the cookware I use in the truck and again never had a problem. These items are used solely in the truck and if I didn’t do this job I wouldn’t need them.
Ah but coffee. By the way you mention accountant I assume you are self employed? In which case a completely different set of rules apply. I was referring to an employed driver.
Nessa…you are right,…a self employed person CAN…an employed person CAN’T, simple as
One thing that must be bourne in mind though, is that, if your employer gave you a company Memo saying that you must use a specific outfit or clothing item for work purposes, and that you must purchase the item, then you can claim the tax back on the item, but you must prove that it was an item required for work i.e by showing the Memo or Letter you recieved, and you must produce reciepts, this does not go for clothes only, but any particular item where the company has stated it must be purchased.
So who wants to get their boss to give them a memo saying they must use a Lambourgini to travel to work as it raises the company profile Lol
Funnily enough though, this was the case that was highlighted in the Tax Tips that I used to subscribe to, the boss claimed tax relief claiming it was only used for work and was an advertising tool, he won his case 
From long experience doing various jobs, I can advise that different tax offices interpret rules in different ways. Ask your own Tax Office is the best advice I can give…and good luck. 
Nessa:
Ah but coffee. By the way you mention accountant I assume you are self employed? In which case a completely different set of rules apply. I was referring to an employed driver.
This is true Nessa but I used to claim for a lot of that stuff when I was an employed driver, many years ago I admit, and was allowed it so it would be worth seeing what the local tax office reaction was. They can only say no and they may just say yes.
Also, I believe that if you are supplied with company liveried work wear, which you are required to lauder yourself, you are entitled to claim for laundering. I think the allowance is about £80.
A question for Nessa, if you are required to carry ‘night-out’ gear, but do not have an allocated vehicle, hence have to remove everything every day/week, and the employer does not supply a locker or secure storage, then this would render traveling to and from work by public transport impracticable, and as such, would a claim for using a car as a necessary requirement for one’s employment, stand any chance of succeeding.
As has been said before different Tax Offices have different interpretations of the rules, also different Inspectors or Revenue Executives have.
My advice is claim everything and then argue your corner.
If you don’t claim you get nothing
Remember the Inland Revenue Instruction Books are their interpretation of the Taxes Acts.
It is these that are the law of the land