mystery shopping accounts

facingthefuture

hi there,
just doing up my self employed accounts for 09 - 10....wish I was better organised!
Anyway....
is the allowance per page printed 10p or more?
is the allowance for mileage 40p

Anything else we can claim for (I know parking)

what about getting lunch when i have travelled far visiting lots of shops
thanks

oh, one last question...one of the companies does pay me mileage at 25p per mile...this is a lot less than the tax office's 40p - can I claim the difference on top?

thanks again

John_Pierpoint

Mileage is 40p for the first 10000 miles and yes you can claim the difference against your own tax.
Presumably with multiple customers and able to work (in theory) as much as or little as you like, you are invoicing your customer (or they are "self billing" (ie producing the invoice you would have sent them for you) to maintain your self employment status)?

Lunch is probably not allowed but supper and overnight would be. If there is a theory, as against a mess of arbitrary rules, it is that we all have to eat and you could take sandwiches. [eg HGV drivers have negotiate a modest figure while white van man cannot claim?!].

Have you kept receipts and an expenses diary?

Modest use of your home office (say 3 quid a week unless you have done all the sums) plus modest office consumables (with receipts). If this is a serious source of income, it should be worth accounting for you computer expenses, but if it is full of teenager's MP3's that could be embarrassing.

Modest telephone/mobile phone?

Modest purchase of maps/sat nav updates?

facingthefuture

Thank you John, your advice is appreciated...I have kept receipts and payment notifications etc so just better sort myself out. A diary will be used from this day forward!!!

weeg

there's a lot f MS tax info on the mystery shopping thread.