Maximising income - Mystery Shopping? Surveys?

Becles

SarahNeedle1872 wrote:

I am on Mat leave for 6 months, and toying with the idea of MS work. Do I still need to register as self-employed? I'll be getting SMP in 8 weeks time plus claiming child benefit etc. I am useless with the whole area of tax!

If you work for any companies on a self employed basis, you will need to register as self employed. Even if you just earn 1p it still has to be declared!

Check out the rules for SMP as they may stop your benefit if you work. I know if you claim MA (as I will be soon!), you are not allowed to do any PAYE or self employed work while claiming.

Becles

mountainofdebt wrote:

do mystery shopping compnies supply you with some info re the jobs you've done in the last Tax Year so that you can fill in the Tax Return?

PAYE companies will supply payslips and a P46 detailing your earnings for your tax return.

Self employed companies are not obliged to send you anything.

Therefore it's important to keep your own records detailing your income and expenses, plus your mileage. Be dedicated and fill them in on a regular basis, otherwise you'll forget where you have been and what you've done!

SarahNeedle1872

Thanx Becles, I'll defo have a good look into it before I start on anything. What about taking part in surveys for money? Do u think that would be considered the same?

comping_cat

SarahNeedle1872 wrote:

Thanx Becles, I'll defo have a good look into it before I start on anything. What about taking part in surveys for money? Do u think that would be considered the same?

Im sure i have read somewhere that the paid 2 click sites, and survey sites arnt classed as earnings, but im sure someone more knowledgable will be along who can check that for us!!!!

The_Boss

May I advise people on something :-

When I worked full time as a MS, I went through a regional supervisor who booked out all of my work to me from several different companies. If you can find out who these people are and approach them, then you are likely to get more success in terms of being accepted for work.

One thing I will say is that over the past 8 years, the trend is that mystery shopping is seriously on the decline. In fact, the Research company I now work for decided last year that it was going to outsource all of its work to a company based in Belgium as it was just not profitable. There is still tonnes of interviewing and other ad hoc projects (such as flow counts etc) going around, but mystery shopping appears to be bottoming out.

Do any of you do interviewing?

jobbingmusician

Does anyone out there have TNSs address? Stupid so and sos dont put it on their website and I need to send them a receipt!

Please excuse lack of apostrophes from this post - for some reason the key isnt working!

Chas

Hiya jobbingmusician

I did a job for them today & the address to send the receipt to is:

TNS Mystery Shopping
3rd Floor
Rye Park House
London Road
High Wycombe
HP11 1EF

The receipt form I printed off gave a freepost code but I'm not sure if it's specific to the client? I can pm it to you if you like.

jobbingmusician

Thanks Chas - yes, I think the code is specific to the client, so don't worry!

EDIT - Oh sorry, the FREEPOST code! No, that is generic - would love a pm. All I can remember is that it ends 'corky' (CRKY)

Chas

will pm you now

bluekp

Hi all,

I'm sorry if this has been asked before, but I am just filling in my exemption from NI contribution form and am stuck on one question.

It says:

"If you work for one or more employer and your self-employment is only a spare-time activity, please give estimates for the year beginning 6 April 2006."

Do I need to include my full time employer (for which I already pay NI contributions) or just the Mystery Shopping companies?