The Mystery Shopping thread - part 6

josie

Quote:
Originally Posted by creaker
And, just to clarify, if I already have a full time job, does that mean I do not have to pay an additional £2.30 a week for NI contributions or do you pay that amount on each job that you have, i.e, once for my main job and once as self employed.

You need to pay this aswell (unless you have an exception certificate). They're different types; the one you pay in your job is class one, £2.30 per week is known as class 2, the one you pay on self employment income over ~£6k is class 4 (not usually payable on the likes of MSing income).

[/quote]


Sorry, I don't understand what you're saying here - are you saying that if we have a full time job (like myself) we would only need to pay class 4 NI if we earned over £6k MSing? Otherwise we do need to pay class 2?

I've been registered self employed for MSing and something else for a few years now, but never been asked for any additional NI contributions. Do I need an exemption certificate and should I be paying class 2? - Help please Timmne :A

josie

Hollypear wrote: »

Timmne wrote: »

Yes, you need to keep some receipts although this rule's not really followed as it seems illogical so it's not a massive problem for the ones you don't have - it's just worth collecting them from now on.



I find this one puzzling Timmne. Say I fill my car with petrol for £40. Not all of that is for MS'ing. So how would I know how much of that is used for MS'ing.

If I just claim x miles x 40p per mile what does a receipt prove.

Does that make sense or is it me being thick again.

I think it's more to prove you actually put the petrol in your car - not for the exact amount. In my full time job, we have to attach a pre-dated petrol receipt for any mileage, regardless of the amount and it's just to prove we put the petrol in (God knows where they thing we're getting it from, but there you go!!)

paulherts

Hi all

I have had a laugh today when reading my instructions for a Gap stamp shop job tomorrow.

It expects you to ask three questions:

One about car tax
One about coming off benefits
And the third that one of your parents has died and what to do about their card account.

Absolutely priceless, if you ask those three questions the staff member would think you were some kind of nutter. Do they actually consider what they are asking people to do?

Cheers Paul

Becles

josie wrote: »

Sorry, I don't understand what you're saying here - are you saying that if we have a full time job (like myself) we would only need to pay class 4 NI if we earned over £6k MSing? Otherwise we do need to pay class 2?

I've been registered self employed for MSing and something else for a few years now, but never been asked for any additional NI contributions. Do I need an exemption certificate and should I be paying class 2? - Help please Timmne :A

Yes - you should either be paying Class 2 or have an exemption certificate for the self employed work. Probably best for you to go for exemption, as your Class 1 contributions from your full time job will cover any future benefit and pension needs.

If you need to pay Class 4, they get added onto your tax return automatically if you do it online, and you pay it with your tax bill. Not sure how it works for people who fill in paper forms.

bulktrans

Hello people, I would really appreciate if someone could please clarify ome quick doubts around Tax filing -

I have just made an excel sheet detailing my fee/re-imbersment or expenses etc , i need to check

1) if its okay to treat reimbersment as expenses so that i can minus them from the fee
2) how should i term 'gift vouchers' from Abai - will they come under expenses or as fee
3) i dont own a car so i used my friends car for some jobs and claimed mileage - is that allowed?
4) how do i calculate the total tax....

any help will be appreciated, i have to file the online version by the 31st....thnx a ton

josie

Becles wrote: »

Yes - you should either be paying Class 2 or have an exemption certificate for the self employed work. Probably best for you to go for exemption, as your Class 1 contributions from your full time job will cover any future benefit and pension needs.

If you need to pay Class 4, they get added onto your tax return automatically if you do it online, and you pay it with your tax bill. Not sure how it works for people who fill in paper forms.

Thanks, Becles - maybe I've got an exemption cert already and just don't know! I registered several years ago as self-employed for something else surely they would have picked up on it by now if I needed to pay anything more? Unless the onus is on me?

I didn't earn enough (£5,225 - in case anyone's profits are more than that! :rotfl: not in this game, eh?) in my self-employed work to need to pay class 4 - I can see that stated on my tax return - question 98 (god, why is tax so long-winded and complicated!)

Perhaps I better trawl through it again - all 28 pages and see if there's anything else about NI class 2.

josie

bulktrans wrote: »

Hello people, I would really appreciate if someone could please clarify ome quick doubts around Tax filing -

I have just made an excel sheet detailing my fee/re-imbersment or expenses etc , i need to check

1) if its okay to treat reimbersment as expenses so that i can minus them from the fee
2) how should i term 'gift vouchers' from Abai - will they come under expenses or as fee
3) i dont own a car so i used my friends car for some jobs and claimed mileage - is that allowed?
4) how do i calculate the total tax....

any help will be appreciated, i have to file the online version by the 31st....thnx a ton

Will try and help, but Timmne is our resident expert!

1) Yes, you can although there is some debate as to whether you should declare this as a benefit as well - my accountant says ok not to, but from what I've heard on here others disagree and it's a bit of a grey area.

2) Gift vouchers from Abai are a fee, if you mean the ones they pay you with! You haven't paid anything for them, so they can't be an expense.

3) Not sure on this one - "of course" you put petrol in your friends, car, don't you? I said, don't you?? But Timmne prob best to answer there as I wouldn't be sure you could claim the full 40p, as that is meant to cover the full range of costs associated with running a car - insurance, wear and tear etc.

4) It's calculated for you online.

HTH

johnny_c-l

paulherts wrote: »

Hi all

I have had a laugh today when reading my instructions for a Gap stamp shop job tomorrow.

It expects you to ask three questions:

One about car tax
One about coming off benefits
And the third that one of your parents has died and what to do about their card account.

Absolutely priceless, if you ask those three questions the staff member would think you were some kind of nutter. Do they actually consider what they are asking people to do?

Cheers Paul

Yep, they're always good fun! I did about ten of them one day last week and all were in small village shops where I was the only non-local. For most of them, when they found the right form it was still in the original unopened pack and several years old!

The questionnaire took me under 2 mins per shop and I don't plan on returning to these places any time soon.

My advice - grin and bear it!

Bulktrans - just treat the ABAi gift vouchers as if it were cash, since they have a value. I believe they calculate the total tax online for you. For your friends car, I don't know, but I would just count expenses as what you actually paid out (i.e. if you gave your friend £5 towards petrol, deduct £5).

bulktrans

josie wrote: »

Will try and help, but Timmne is our resident expert!

1) Yes, you can although there is some debate as to whether you should declare this as a benefit as well - my accountant says ok not to, but from what I've heard on here others disagree and it's a bit of a grey area.

2) Gift vouchers from Abai are a fee, if you mean the ones they pay you with! You haven't paid anything for them, so they can't be an expense.

3) Not sure on this one - "of course" you put petrol in your friends, car, don't you? I said, don't you?? But Timmne prob best to answer there as I wouldn't be sure you could claim the full 40p, as that is meant to cover the full range of costs associated with running a car - insurance, wear and tear etc.

4) It's calculated for you online.

HTH

thnx for this info .. some further clarification ( u r not an expert but just in case...)
1) so best to keep them seperate then?
2) they are gift cards from Abai - so i guess they are fees?
3) if e.g. i work for a co. and claim 20£ toward travel - bus+train etc can i claim this full amount?

also while on travel i dont own a car so for every job (nearly) i have used an all day bus pass....how should i claim that?

sorry for asking so many questions.... plz try to help if poss thnx

ruthiejane

Bulktrans: I don't really understand what you are trying to do here.

Either you don't claim the cost of anything you have to buy when mystery shopping as an expense and then don't count any reimbursement as part of your income.

Or you claim the cost of everything you have to buy as an expense and include the reimbursement as part of your income.

There is no way that the reimbursement is an expense, as it is money you are receiving and expenses are thing you spend.