MEPs also receive an office allowance, a secretarial assistance allowance, an annual travel allowance of up to 4, 000 euros and 287 euros per day subsistence allowance for every day they are at the Parliament in Strasbourg, to cover hotels, taxis and food.

BBC: Diary - My week as an MEP

The basic facts of the case were that Lord Hanningfield claimed the House of Lords overnight subsistence allowance, payable to peers who have to spend the night in the capital because of their parliamentary duties, even though he returned to his home in Essex every night.

BBC: England

This is income from almost all sources (including tax-exempt bonds, for example), reduced by income taxes and by an allowance for subsistence-level living.

FORBES: Paying for College: Five Rules to Protect Your Retirement