Maximising income - Mystery Shopping? Surveys? (Part Two)

paulinespens

wensie wrote: »

Hi Pauline, it's usually when you are facing into the store ... so you stand outside, look at the shop and then left and right.

Thanks very much

jobbingmusician

wensie wrote: »

Hi Pauline, it's usually when you are facing into the store ... so you stand outside, look at the shop and then left and right.

This is correct - however, TBH I don't think they would care terribly if you got them the wrong way round. The main reason they want to know is to prove you have been there (and visited the right venue. I did manage to visit the wrong pub once :eek: - rather dozy of me, I was doing a lot of MS at the time and got the names mixed up) and the MS company rang me and asked was I sure I had visited the right one, as the other pub had the shops I had listed either side. I had to admit I must have done the wrong one

PS They paid me anyway - I think this was probably due to absentmindedness on their part rather than planning! :T

Dormouse

youyouyou06 wrote: »

sorry i am a bit slow a few questions i need answering i dont own a computer but regulary use internet cafes so how long do i need to be on a computer

can someone tell me how it works

Hiya,

TBH I don't think you could do mystery shopping if you don't have a computer at home, as you would need to spend a lot of time online, especially in the evenings, when I assume most internet cafes wouldn't be open.

The main problem is, you have to apply for most jobs online, you read and print out your instructions/questionnaires online, you submit your reports online (with a very strict deadline, e.g. before midnight or within 8 hours for some companies), and you also have to be able to check your emails regularly in case companies need to contact you. This amounts to several hours a day sometimes, so I can see that not having a computer would be very problematic.

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news

josie

Becles wrote: »

This isn't right.

You should only be claiming for journeys that were made solely for MS reasons. If you were going somewhere for non-MS reasons and took a job to do while you were there, you cannot claim all of the costs for the journey.

Yes, quite right :rotfl:

I'd never claim if I were going anyway and I'm sure no one else does either :rolleyes:

Becles

It's classed as tax evasion to claim for things that you are not entitled to, which is why I don't claim for such journeys.

jobbingmusician

I think this is a bit purist. Where do you draw the line? Sometimes I plan to visit the in-laws on a day when I can help with the costs of the 120 mile round trip by doing a MS - would you also consider this unacceptable?

Personally I do claim for local shopping trips when I MS. On the other hand, I don't claim any mileage for the considerable number of Central London visits I do each week which are covered by my travelcard, unless there is no fee for the visits. If there is no fee, I DO claim the mileage (normally a set £3), but offset this against my computer and printing expenses for a variety of jobs for that company.

Jo4

If you are doing a few jobs, only a few miles apart, on the same day for different companies do you claim travel expenses for only 1 job or considering there is a distance between them do you claim the extra mileage or do you just charge for the one which is the greatest distance from your house? How do you record this?

What happens if some of these jobs do not pay mileage?

jobbingmusician

The way I deal with this is to take the question upside down and deal with part 2 first

Some jobs don't pay mileage. Either these are not worth doing, or they can be cross-subsidised from other jobs. I feel that it is fair to look at one company's jobs as a whole - will jobs with no mileage, or capped mileage, balance out those with more generous mileage? I feel that some uneconomic jobs might be worth doing to keep in good stead with the company concerned, and that the IR will probably understand this arguement (not guaranteed!) - so I will do some jobs where I subsidise the mileage, others where I overclaim slightly, and balance these out at year end.

How the balance is going will affect the answer to question 1 - if a company 'owes me' mileage I will claim the whole mileage in examples such as this, if I owe them mileage then I won't.

Hope this is clear. If the IR works as it usually does, they will accept a rationale about which you are clear, and which you apply consistently. It might be worth writing it down (your rationale, that is) so that you can refer to it when you are making decisions about what to claim.

Jo4

If you are doing 2 jobs for the 1 company where you have to drive past one to get to the other, do you charge the mileage for the one that is furthest and not for the nearer one? What happens if they ask for mileage to both and then pay you for both although they know you have to drive past one to get to the other?

Becles

jobbingmusician wrote: »

I think this is a bit purist. Where do you draw the line?

By all means claim for things you are entitled to claim for.

However I'm just very concerned at all the "advice" that has been given to encourage people to claim for all sorts, simply to make a loss on paper every year to avoid paying tax. You cannot claim for things like your normal commute home from a permanent job, just because you picked up a burger as you were passing.

If people claim for things they are not entitled to, it could lead to a tax investigation and subsequent charges being brought against them. People need to be aware of this, if they chose to follow such "advice".