MYSTERY SHOPPING THREAD 17 - please don't mention client names or fees on here!!

tbw

GabsRUs wrote: »

I could be wrong but I put my travel against as a tax loss as it is not re-imbursed. The meal costs I pay tax on as it is a perk so therefore a benefit. The cost of the overnight stay puzzled me so I phoned the tax office. They said if it is a hotel I was not staying in for a holiday!!! it was therefore work so I could claim tax on that cost. I put it on my tax thing an it wasn't queried. I think though you should maybe phone them as I have sometimes esp when I was new to this phoned that tax office and got different answers.

HTH but dont take it as gospel as I think staff in HMRC also get confused.

No travel is involved as I am picked up and returned door to door. I don't see that meals which I HAVE to eat to properly assess the hotel are a perk. And, I am certainly working, not enjoying a free break without any strings.

I don't want to claim any tax relief - I just don't want to pay tax on the cost of something that I HAVE to purchase in order to do my report. I've never expected to pay tax on Gap burgers, Retail Eyes pub meals or the hotel costs for Service Science. Ok , so they may loosely be termed a perk - but only if you would have been happy and willing to buy them for yourself if you weren't obliged to to do the job.

I don't particularly want to get into a discuuion with the tax people because, as you rightly say, I will likely get as many different answers as people I speak to ! They don't know what they are doing at times. I just wondered specifically about reimbursement only hotel jobs and flights.

Chocforever

I think the key point is that if you need to incur the expense to carry out the MS (e.g. a meal because you are assessing the quality of the food), it is tax deductible.

jen_br

tbw wrote: »

No travel is involved as I am picked up and returned door to door. I don't see that meals which I HAVE to eat to properly assess the hotel are a perk. And, I am certainly working, not enjoying a free break without any strings.

I don't want to claim any tax relief - I just don't want to pay tax on the cost of something that I HAVE to purchase in order to do my report. I've never expected to pay tax on Gap burgers, Retail Eyes pub meals or the hotel costs for Service Science. Ok , so they may loosely be termed a perk - but only if you would have been happy and willing to buy them for yourself if you weren't obliged to to do the job.

I don't particularly want to get into a discuuion with the tax people because, as you rightly say, I will likely get as many different answers as people I speak to ! They don't know what they are doing at times. I just wondered specifically about reimbursement only hotel jobs and flights.

Hi I do flights, hotels etc. I claim it all for taxs.. its an income / and expense.

see flights are different as they are a holiday as well generally unless your there and back in a day.

I prorata certain things pending on my circumstances. i.e Write of 3/5s or 1/3. (as you can't claim all your meals etc)

As for eimbursement only.. the fuel money you get is a benefit in kind. No different then the salesman who gets a company fuel card. You are taxed on it.

If you are eating a meal at a restaurant and told to order 1-2-3 and you order 1-2-3-4 you need to deduct 4 as its not a tax write off... but if you order 1-2-3 and are being paid for 1-2-3 then thats fine however I write the job up as income and back out as expenses.

Misty_Blue

sweettooth wrote: »

Oooh, has it been cleared for payment?

It hasn't actually been paid yet (but with this company, that's no surprise! ), but has been graded 9/10.

Flygirl767

mysterious_girl wrote: »

Gabsr us ans gabgabmum = full of s**t. Not who they want you to think they are. In fact, probably thE same person. Off to watch IACGMOOH.

You don't mean to say we have TROLLS amongst us do you? :eek:

Scotties_Mum

mysterious_girl wrote: »

Gabsr us ans gabgabmum = full of s**t. Not who they want you to think they are. In fact, probably thE same person. Off to watch IACGMOOH.

Has been a long day, but lost me with this one? (not hard, I admit)

StacFace

mimi1234 wrote: »

Most BARE jobs sat you have to ask for a discount. I did on the charm bracelet one and the woman's face almost dropped off. I can remember having to ask for a discount at the posh clothes shop (not petrol, the other thing you put in your car). That was embarrassing too! LOL.

When I get jobs that require you to ask for a discount I tend to say my partner or someone else is limiting my spending, e.g. when asking about a pendant "for my wedding day" I said I loved one that was £1100 but said we had only budgeted £1000 for the pendant and that I'd already gone over on the dress and venue so might have to look elsewhere for something cheaper.

Doing something like this has always prompted the salesperson to say something about seeing if they can knock something off for me in the past, and if nothing is said it can then lead on to asking directly. You can even pretend you were asking in a cheeky way and didn't actually mean it.

serendipity2706

Flygirl767 wrote: »

You don't mean to say we have TROLLS amongst us do you? :eek:

Trolls??
(Led a sheltered life)

GabsRUs

mysterious_girl wrote: »

Gabsr us ans gabgabmum = full of s**t. Not who they want you to think they are. In fact, probably thE same person. Off to watch IACGMOOH.

You have totally baffled me. What are you accusing me of????. And there was me thinking this was a friendly forum. However I do thank the people who have given genuine help to me and having spent ages months ago going through all the previous threads I have got loads of info on companies, tax and record keeping which has been invaluable to me.

I bow out with thanks to the genuine people on here who have helped. Someho0w I feel not welcomed any more but got no idea why.

MG do enjoy IAMACGMOOH as I am sure the creepy crawleys would feel quite at home in your company.

beckybrianie1973

mysterious_girl wrote: »

Gabsr us ans gabgabmum = full of s**t. Not who they want you to think they are. In fact, probably thE same person. Off to watch IACGMOOH.

What makes you say that? I thought trolls posted stuff to deliberately wind people up, can't see any evidence of that, just a discussion on jobs, which is what the thread is supposed to be for isn't it?