what can i write off as expenses?

fenwick458

John_Pierpoint wrote: »

Your transport could be an area for discussion?
You refer to "a car" is this "your private car" or is it a van that is more or less dedicated to the business in addition to your "private" means of transport?
What sort of capital investment are we talking about here? Are we talking about brand new - sign written etc. or are we talking old banger at the other extreme? How far do you travel?
(We had an example on here a few days ago of a joiner who was travelling the whole country to get work).

it's my car, an X reg Golf TDI that i've owned for 4 years. i travel 4.4 miles (8.8 round trip) to work everyday, and then get in a works van not owned by me

orangeslimes

no-oneknowsme wrote: »

HappyMJ - that link you posted is regarding tax relief for employees . It may cover the self employed too , im not sure but just wanted to point that out to you.

OP-My Husband is self employed but wears clothing with his business logo on them and he claimed relief on the cost of these clothes.

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It does apply to the self employed too - although clothes with logos are probably ok. But if you just buy some random tshirt to wear at work that doesn't.

John_Pierpoint

Repeat after me "I am self employed, my business is based at my home now, I am an entrepreneur, so I am working the moment my feet enter my slippers every morning..................".

Seriously though commuting "to a place of work" is not an allowable expense. You still have not explained what it is you do, but you could find that your status as "self employed" is being attacked if you display signs of doing a PAYE type job.
http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/calcs/esi.htm

This is what you are up against:
http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/manuals/esmmanual/ESM0500.htm

This is the nightmare situation when HMRC decides to challenge your way of making a living:
https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/3110596
http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/manuals/bimmanual/bim37620.htm
These are the tax cases that were taken to court (note the milkman who had been turned into a franchisee)
http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/manuals/bimmanual/bim37620.htm

alun4

Interesting (but tiny) point/question about a mobile phone.

I claim all my phone costs. About half the calls are to home - to say I'm on my way .... can you put the kettle on? .... Do you want anything at Tesco? etc BUT this is a free number. What should I be doing?

chrismac1

Strictly speaking you should keep a record of your calls - say for one month each tax year - and identify the % of the costs of your mobile which is personal. This includes the rental. At a guess, I'd say something like 10% of the costs will then be personal because for most self-employed people their business calls are a lot longer than "Can you put the kettle on?"

The advice I give my clients is to be absolutely sure it is 100% business if they say it is 100%. If in doubt say 2.5% personal. One very harsh case concerned a business van used to ferry the guy's wife to hospital in the middle of the night to give birth to a premature baby. This mercy dash got in the local papers and the Inspector read it and then hit the guy with a tax assessment because he'd claimed 100% buisness use and here he was driving to the hospital on personal business.

Whether HMRC is capable of mounting such a challenge based on local knowledge the way it is currently run - if you can call it running - is a moot point. But where a client is claiming 100% I ask the question "is it really 100% business and strictly no personal use?"