Mystery Shopping Thread 24 *PLEASE READ THE OP FIRST**PLEASE NO CLIENT NAMES OR FEES

JohnnyG

mimi1234 wrote: »

RM owed me £11 for postage and they have given me just £1.10. Hmmmm indeed.

That's not good :cool:

heidbanger

Gap in the bank today for me.

Cybi-Ping

abai have paid too

samtastic7

fionajbanana wrote: »

Has anyone done buybacks where the client wants your purchases? How is it normally collected? I have put the latest purchases in the boot of my car and don't want to mess work up due to clients. Not been given the outcome yet

It won't be postal is its so bloody heavy!

oh Honey??

Big_Graeme

skivenov wrote: »

I'm sooooooooooooo bored of phone shops.

Yup so was I right up to when I got paid for a wave, kinda improved my outlook no end 8-{>

Chomeur

I've always declared the value of purchases that I get reimbursed for when mystery shopping in my tax returns. I think it's the correct thing to do as they are benefits in kind and I don't mind - it doesn't amount to much. But I'm now looking at mystery shopping some flights, potentially first class ones, on a no fee arrangement. The tax liability could be huge if I have to declare these. Has anyone thought about this issue before?

I quote from the first post in this thread:

Originally Posted by misssarahleigh
From the horses mouth (anthony and his department at HMRC)

Taxable Expenses

If the breif required you to purchase said products in order to be paid a fee, the products are 'incidental benifits' and can be classified as an allowable expense.

Reinbursment only

You cannot argue you have done the job for a fee. You have taken on the job and recieved goods for that job. Therefore payment in kind and is taxable.

If you can argue and prove that this was only done in order to gain access to fee paying jobs or build a reputation with the company, this will more likley depend on the strength of your argument. No set right/wrong to this, but based on individual circumstances.

Taking on reinbursment only jobs and classifying it as an expense is not allowed. If you do this purposly to lower your profit margin, he was clear in that it would be classified as Tax Evasion.

Big_Graeme

Poor old PiP don't get alerted about very often but there are some decent premiums to be had for the last of the May jobs 3-4x the fee seemed to be the going rate which makes them very do-able.

Big_Graeme

Chomeur wrote: »

I've always declared the value of purchases that I get reimbursed for when mystery shopping in my tax returns. I think it's the correct thing to do as they are benefits in kind and I don't mind - it doesn't amount to much. But I'm now looking at mystery shopping some flights, potentially first class ones, on a no fee arrangement. The tax liability could be huge if I have to declare these. Has anyone thought about this issue before?

I quote from the first post in this thread:

Go with what misssarahleigh says, you won't go far wrong.

As a rule of thumb if I wouldn't have purchased what I was being asked to purchase in my day to day life then it is going down as an expense, if it is something like the TNS quickies and you would have spent that money on stuff anyway then I have it as a benefit in kind and pay tax on it.

May here have a good argument that everything on a paid assignment is an expense and claim it against tax, I prefer a quiet life 8-{>

If however the payment if just the refund of the flight costs the this should be treated as a payment and expenses posted against it.

But if in any doubt, call HMRC they don't bite.

whitelabel

Chomeur wrote: »

I've always declared the value of purchases that I get reimbursed for when mystery shopping in my tax returns. I think it's the correct thing to do as they are benefits in kind and I don't mind - it doesn't amount to much. But I'm now looking at mystery shopping some flights, potentially first class ones, on a no fee arrangement. The tax liability could be huge if I have to declare these. Has anyone thought about this issue before?

I quote from the first post in this thread:

Ive only ever done them for a fee, not a no fee basis.
Makes it much more difficult in fact impossible to state you did the job for any reason other than the benefit of it

which MS company is that with now ?

Chomeur

whitelabel wrote: »

which MS company is that with now ?

Not sure that they want me to say. It sounds as if they could well be taxable from what misssarahleigh say. I won't do any of these trips unless I can get confirmation from HMRC that I don't have to declare them as a benefit in kind.