Mystery shopping thread 26 *please read the op first**please no client names or fees

Larac

mimmy1977 wrote: »

I did see the car jobs yes,but didnt read the brief as I not couldnt do them anyway.

Anything on the board for ESA is really PPP at the moment. Funerals, travel agents, credit card enquiries and upmarket decor shop are all languishing on my board. I guess they have undercut other MS companies, in order to 'win' the business and cut shoppers pay to balance their books.

mimi1234

samtastic7 wrote: »

Anyone else receive 24 emails from quest today? Great way to waste data!!

I got 3 but couldn't log in. When I did get on, everything was gone.

Is anyone else being harassed by ESA? I've had about 20 calls since yesterday. I wouldn't even open an eyelid for the fees they offer. Hell no.

Sunny_spell

Red_Don wrote: »

Just read ESA's brief for the car visits. It's shockingly poor pay for the work.

Cannot decide which ones are worse: ESA or RA new car visits as both are horrible.

missymouse

would have done a home interior one but none of them are that near and for the fee it is not worth it. It would be good if you could buy something there when you have gone to all that trouble

Webstar

Read somewhere that reimbursements have to be declared to HMRI just like income. What if the purchase is not of any benefit like Medication that you cannot take or train tickets that have to be returned?

MysteryMe

I took my tel. number off the ESA website ages ago, same with RA.


I do a regular audit job for ESA which is OK and the supermarket jobs are reasonable but many of their assignments are too little pay for too much work.


I can't face car assignments other than the PiP ones when they increase the fee. I'm buying a new car at the moment and I hate every second of it!

Big_Graeme

Webstar wrote: »

Read somewhere that reimbursements have to be declared to HMRI just like income. What if the purchase is not of any benefit like Medication that you cannot take or train tickets that have to be returned?

You declare all income including reimbursements paid and all expenditure including spending on jobs. That makes them neutral for tax calculations.

Some simple caveats -

1. You can't claim more spend on a job that the reimbursement allowed on the job, I.E. you can't do a clothes shop where the spend in £10, buy a £100 suit and claim the £100 against expenses.

2. If you do a reimbursement only job then that is your fee and needs to be declared as income, you can not then claim the cost against expenses, many of us avoid these for that reason.

Webstar

Big_Graeme wrote: »

You declare all income including reimbursements paid and all expenditure including spending on jobs. That makes them neutral for tax calculations.

Some simple caveats -

1. You can't claim more spend on a job that the reimbursement allowed on the job, I.E. you can't do a clothes shop where the spend in £10, buy a £100 suit and claim the £100 against expenses.

2. If you do a reimbursement only job then that is your fee and needs to be declared as income, you can not then claim the cost against expenses, many of us avoid these for that reason.

That's useful thanks - Does this mean I have to keep receipts for every purchase I have made over the tax year? (In my case that's going to be nearly 400!)

Big_Graeme

Webstar wrote: »

That's useful thanks - Does this mean I have to keep receipts for every purchase I have made over the tax year? (In my case that's going to be nearly 400!)

Yes and for five years.

I scan all mine (the vast majority have to be scanned and either emailed or uploaded anyway), file them nicely in folders of the PC and dump the paper ones in a box, after a few months the thermal ones start to fade anyway.

Big_Graeme

Big_Graeme wrote: »

2. If you do a reimbursement only job then that is your fee and needs to be declared as income, you can not then claim the cost against expenses, many of us avoid these for that reason.

I'll just add, this is a grey area for HMRC, one person will tell you one thing and another something different. I stick to this method as I know if I do get an audit I am squeaky clean.