Mystery Shopping Thread 25 *PLEASE READ THE OP FIRST**PLEASE NO CLIENT NAMES OR FEES

Hannah88811

superliss wrote: »

Not sure why you would only want to do one per month. If it's MDC the more you do the more beneficial it becomes. I'm with BG on the tax stuff. If you really aren't sure speak to HMRC. Personally I think this how companies like MF reel newbies in. Making out its just go for a free meal tell us if it was tasty!

Anyway weather is good. Hope everyone has enjoyed Easter.

One love.

If I enjoyed it then obviously I would do more than one a month but with work commitments, I can only do them every 2 weeks anyway

Big_Graeme

And MF is one of the companies that provides details of EVERYTHING you do to HMRC, I did a couple of jobs for them before going legit, HMRC knew about it.

Larac

Big_Graeme wrote: »

No, not for you, it is an expense for Mystery Diners though. The meal is the payment for your report, it is classed as payment in kind.

Good that you picked this point up as the way this thread was leading implied no tax was applicable which is clearly not the case...

whitelabel

chinora wrote: »

As all you are being paid is the reimbursement for the cost of the meal you will have no earning and do not need to declare your self self employed. If however you ever take a payment for a job then you will need to declare your self employment status.
Hope this helps.

This was mentioned potentially in a newspaper article I recall but the value of the meal could be the issue, a sandwich perhaps so but a fine dining restaurant I'm pretty sure hmrc would backtrack and tax as benefit in kind on the value of the meal. Equally its says tax may not be payable, not that you don't have to declare it.

"It is unlikely that there will be a taxable profit if the mystery shopper is simply reimbursed for the cost of meals they are required to eat to fulfil their assignments," says a spokesperson HMRC. "Profits will arise, however, if any assignments involve a fee or if the mystery shopper is reimbursed for the cost of goods which they are allowed to keep. In which case the tax charge will be based on the value of those goods."

Big_Graeme

Got to say Catalyst have really upped their game, they used to be quite late paying and then only by cheque, the new Paypal system works fine, you get good constructive feedback and queries are handled without fuss.

chinora

Regards MDC I studied it at Uni Big Graeme. If you are only doing the assignment to get a free meal and there is no payment then no need to declare it.

Hannah 88811 if you are looking at making these claims then you will have to declare it but you might find u have a few issues as these assignments are designed to make no profit or loss in theory although your might be travelling to the destination I think the idea is that they are intended that you would be going out for a meal anyway and thus you would swallow the travel etc as part n parcel of that fact. You will also be more open to being audited by HMRC as it looks like you are trying to make it a tax deductible loss on your earnings and from reading what others have posted they don't really like that and you would need to justify yourself to them.

Big_Graeme

chinora wrote: »

Regards MDC I studied it at Uni Big Graeme.

Oh well, if you put it like that then of course you are right and everyone else is wrong...

Hannah88811

chinora wrote: »

Regards MDC I studied it at Uni Big Graeme. If you are only doing the assignment to get a free meal and there is no payment then no need to declare it.

Hannah 88811 if you are looking at making these claims then you will have to declare it but you might find u have a few issues as these assignments are designed to make no profit or loss in theory although your might be travelling to the destination I think the idea is that they are intended that you would be going out for a meal anyway and thus you would swallow the travel etc as part n parcel of that fact. You will also be more open to being audited by HMRC as it looks like you are trying to make it a tax deductible loss on your earnings and from reading what others have posted they don't really like that and you would need to justify yourself to them.

If I do an assignment for reimbursement only then I would declare it but not put the meal down as an expense but the travel and other things I would. So for example I am reimbursed £30 my expenses come to £10 then my taxable profit would be £20. I'm not trying to make it look like a loss, if you understand what I'm trying to say? Not sure if that makes sense to everybody else

MysteryMe

I think a call the HMRC is best option if there are conflicting opinions. I am minded more towards it being taxable income but I don't do those sorts of jobs TBH.

Frannie_Foo_Foo

Hello everyone. My name is Fran and I'm a mystery shopper. I'm new here but have been following the chat for a while.