Year-end FAQs

Why is the process not automatic?

The process is not automatic because we rely on you to provide us with certain information to complete year-end. For example, you receive energy bills relating to your office and you then provide us with the relevant information, such as the dates the bill covers, and we use that to allocate the cost to the correct financial year.

What do you do if you're not sure how to complete a form?

You can attend one of our four live webinars or watch our recorded version.

How do you find out your current financial position?

You can run the budget v expenditure report.

What if you purchase goods on 31 March 2025?

Goods should be allocated to the year in which they are received. If you purchase goods on 31 March 2025, we would assume it is delivered the next day and should be moved to the 2025-26 financial year. You will need to include these kinds of transactions on your year-end form. You cannot spend money this year for goods received in the next financial year. Check the guidance for a detailed flowchart to help you work out all the circumstances in which you may need to complete a form.

What if you purchase goods on 30 March 2025?

If you pay for goods on 30 March 2025, we will take the received date to be 31 March and so the costs will be automatically allocated to this financial year. 

Do you complete a single form for all your expenditure? 

Yes. Add as many lines to the form as you need, but you only need to complete one form for all your spend.  

The MPs’ Staff Conference, organised by the House of Commons, is taking place on 19 March. What do you do with your claims relating to travel and subsistence for the conference?

Any claims for travel and subsistence for the conference will relate to goods received before 31 March, given the event is on 19 March. As a result, the costs will come out of the current financial year.  Please remember that any costs on the payment card on or after 25 March may be included in your April transactions and therefore will not be available to reconcile until early May, which in turn may interfere with your ability to reconcile by year-end.

What happens if you spend more than the budget?

After the year-end process is completed, if the budget has been exceeded, the MP will need to repay the 'overspend'. Your account manager will be in contact if this happens and would explore beforehand all possible ways to reduce the financial burden. 

Should you worry about exceeding one/some of your budget(s)?

You may not need to worry. Remember we may have to allocate some costs to the 2025-26 financial year and you may request this also in your year-end form.  You also have the ability to move costs to another budget. For example, costs for staff training can come out of the office costs budget or the staffing budget. Some costs (for example, pooled services or staff training) may also be movable into another budget. After accounting for this, if you are still worried, please contact your account manager, who will be able to help you forecast.