Contracting and travel expenses.

Cook_County

Remember you need full adequate white space disclosure to HMRC to minimise potential discovery by HMRC of the position you are taking.

bobthedambuilder

Cook_County wrote: »

Remember you need full adequate white space disclosure to HMRC to minimise potential discovery by HMRC of the position you are taking.

I reckon that this is good conservative (small c!;)) advice.

I would state in the white space that your normal place of business is your home (which it clearly is, for your media work), and that you have travelled to carry out work at the nursery contract, and have claimed business travel expenses, at the HMRC published rate of 45p per mile (up to 10K miles per year, then 25p per mile thereafter), these rates applicable since April 2011.

hubb

bobthedambuilder wrote: »

I reckon that this is good conservative (small c!;)) advice.

I would state in the white space that your normal place of business is your home (which it clearly is, for your media work), and that you have travelled to carry out work at the nursery contract, and have claimed business travel expenses, at the HMRC published rate of 45p per mile (up to 10K miles per year, then 25p per mile thereafter), these rates applicable since April 2011.

As I am filling out a 2010-11 form, the rate of 40p per mile will apply won't it ?

chrismac1

Yes 40 pence. Good advice here, use the notes to the SA return to cover yourself on the travel issue. No-one in HMRC ever reads them, even employees writing letters or coming out to see taxpayers to query returns. What better start to such an enquiry could there be than "Did you not read my return properly then?"

hubb

Ok, I just completed a 3rd season in the summer months travelling as a self employed worker at this nursery. So up to now I have worked 2010/2011/2012. This year I didn't go back to the 2nd nursery I usually work at in the Autumn. I am about to file my 2011/12 return and am wondering if I should still claim with it being a 3rd year working there (obviously I am filing my return for the 2nd year there)

So as it now stands I only work at this one nursery as a self employed person. I do no other horticultural work as my time is taken with my media business at home.

Sambucus_Nigra

That's the third time you have posted that. Not sure what you are asking. Claim what?

hubb

basically as I only now contract for one place, is the situation for claiming the same ?

jimmo

Yes it is.
For what it is worth I believe your original claim was wrong but if you believe that your media work and your horticultural work constitute a single business your original claims and any current claims will probably be correct.

However, as you now only have one source of horticultural work the chances of the HMRC risk assessment procedures picking you up as a potential enquiry case have seriously multiplied.

If you are right, you are right and nothing has changed.

If you are wrong, you are wrong. You may get away with it but if HMRC come sniffing there is every chance they will revisit earlier years.

hubb

Well this self assessment I am currently filing includes last years work which was at the 2 different places.

Can you tell me why working at one place this year changes my right to claim travel expenses ?

HappyMJ

hubb wrote: »

Well this self assessment I am currently filing includes last years work which was at the 2 different places.

Can you tell me why working at one place this year changes my right to claim travel expenses ?

It doesn't....it's just that you only have one client. Most truly self employed people have several clients and have no issues in claiming travel expenses against their income. You would be better off getting some more clients. It'll just make you look more genuinely self employed.