proof of working

hmc

since jan ive been self employed cleaning
16 hrs
i get £40 a week back to work grant via jobcentre
they sent me a form asking for proof in the form of recipts,invoices or diary,about hrs worked
so i sent in my diary
they say this isnt good enough and want recipts
when i registered self employed with the tax office, i asked about this and they said i didnt need to get recipts or invoices for private cleaning just keep a diary
so what do i do now
what sort of invoice or recipt are they wanting?
i never see most of the ladies i clean for?
any advice id be grateful thanks

NoBS_2

You need to keep receipts and invoices of any self employed work you do.

How are you paid? Into the bank? If so you need to show bank statements.

If cash then surely you must see the person to receive the cash. Then it would be expected that you give them an invoice and receipt for this. You would keep the other copy.

You need receipts for any expenditure you've made on cleaning products etc. You will also need to prove you have actually done 16 hours and are able to account for them.

If you do not have receipts then it would be best to meet with your clients and get confirmation in writing of all the times you have cleaned for them.

It would also be best for you to investigate what you have been advised as being self employed, you need to keep extremely accurate records that you can show immediately if needed and for I believe currently seven years. A diary would not be sufficient proof.

Not saying this is you, but anyone could write anything in a diary and make out they were self employed, if this was enough, everyone would be doing it to try and get WTC etc. You need exact proof and alot of it.

paddedjohn

do you invoice the people you clean for?

hmc

this is what i thought when i was 1st advised about the diary, that it wouldnt be enough! i dont see the clients they leave cash out for me

hmc

no i havnt been invoicing. now its all been done wrong hasnt it because i went on the advice of some bod ont he phone!

HappyMJ

hmc wrote: »

this is what i thought when i was 1st advised about the diary, that it wouldnt be enough! i dont see the clients they leave cash out for me

You wouldn't normally invoice people who pay cash so I would just make up and print out an invoice/receipt for your own purposes. You don't actually have to hand one to your clients if they are not interested in receipts.

hmc

but the jobcentre said they wernt interested in what i was earning just proof i was doing the hrs? so do i need my clients to sign something? what bout client confinentiality(sure ive spelt that wrong!) i shall ring the jobcentre again tomorrow. i keep trying but i sit in a queue and give up lol. thanks for the advice

HappyMJ

hmc wrote: »

but the jobcentre said they wernt interested in what i was earning just proof i was doing the hrs? so do i need my clients to sign something? what bout client confinentiality(sure ive spelt that wrong!) i shall ring the jobcentre again tomorrow. i keep trying but i sit in a queue and give up lol. thanks for the advice

A diary should be sufficient and you are right about client confidentiality you do not have to give them all your client details just put Mrs J. Smith and how many hours you spent on that job. If they do not accept your job diary then I would appeal. Forget about the phone much better to speak face to face with your advisor.

hmc

thanks, i will try to ring tomorrow just to confirm im sending the diary back in. so i will make the diary a little more detailed by putting their name and the hours i worked.

Queries

A small business account consist's of Gross Sales (what clients pay you via invoicing) - this can be done either by a duplicate invoice book from a stationer's (get a receipt so you can include it as an expense) or via your word-processor (if you buy an ink-cartridge just for invoicing then this counts as an expense)- starting at number 01, date, client, client's address, amount, paid cash or cheque.

Plus, the back to work grant of £40 a week. For example, you earn £90 a week plus £40 a week back to work grant then your gross sales are £130. Minus, your purchases/expenses do you have to buy clothes/footwear just for work? Do you have to buy any cleaning products, or do your clients supply them? Do you get the bus to work or do you drive there? If you get the bus solely for work then you can charge the whole lot back as an expense (keep the receipt as proof - expense wise). If you drive there - do you use your vehicle for 25% of your work assignments? (In which case you can charge back as an expense 25% of - insurance costs, petrol costs, road tax, MOT., service costs, repair costs, depreciation costs (now called WDA -Write Down Allowance costs). If you use your vehicle for more than 25% business-wise then adjust accordingly. (Keep every receipt relating to the business). Also, if you are cleaning for a living do you have to wash your clothes more? - If you have to pay more gas (to dry your clothes), more electricity and water (meter-wise) to wash your clothes, then charge back as an expense accordingly keeping receipts and bills as proof.

So layout of a weekly Profit &Loss Account would be (for example)

Gross Sales £90
Grant £40
Total £130
Less Expenses £50
Net Profit £80

This is just an example, good luck. Also, being self-employed you may have to, in the future, pay National Insurance 2. Plus, if you are worried about Taxation Issues, then please 'phone the tax office.

fogartyblue.

How times have changed.

When someone becomes self employed they of course are responsible for keeping records of income and expenditure.

Now I see that they have to keep a record of how many hours they work in that self employment?

Why?

I was self employed for 8 years, started a business up from nothing (and I mean nothing - no capital, no clients!) Afte 8 years it was time to move on and sold out to a much larger company and made a few £'s with the deal!
No one, not even HMRC ever suggested that I should keep a diary showing what I did on a day to day basis for the purposes of recording hours worked. Yes a diary for the business is one thing, but having to 'clock in and clock out' has got to be a joke.

I have no idea how many hours I worked in an average week, there was no average week!

Some days it would have been 18 hours, whilst other weeks, I would be off with my wife for a month's holiday. Work hard - Spend hard!!

This hours thing is ridiculous. What would HMRC say whilst we had a month off in the States? That I wasn't actually running a business?

As if!!