My DW wants to start a self employed ironing business. Can I be her customer?

sheramber

If  your wife does your ironing  why would you need to pay a stranger to do it?

badmemory

Is this also so that you/she can pay more than £3600 into a pension for her as well as the NI payments?

Grumpy_chap

badmemory said:

Is this also so that you/she can pay more than £3600 into a pension for her as well as the NI payments?

Yes, as per the OP's other thread.

badmemory

Grumpy_chap said:

badmemory said:

Is this also so that you/she can pay more than £3600 into a pension for her as well as the NI payments?

Yes, as per the OP's other thread.

Thanks.  Missed that!

MovingForwards

Wonder what 'service' he will want to pay her for next.

michaels

MovingForwards said:

Wonder what 'service' he will want to pay her for next.

We did all those jokes in the other thread already

Still seems strange to me that currently my shirts go to an ironing service and that counts as taxable economic activity but if I paid my DW to do them instead it counts as nothing.

MovingForwards

It's because as a couple you are expected to do household tasks for free and not charge / pay one another or charge / pay yourself.

michaels said:

MovingForwards said:

Wonder what 'service' he will want to pay her for next.

We did all those jokes in the other thread already

Still seems strange to me that currently my shirts go to an ironing service and that counts as taxable economic activity but if I paid my DW to do them instead it counts as nothing.

Pennywise

michaels said:

MovingForwards said:

Wonder what 'service' he will want to pay her for next.

We did all those jokes in the other thread already

Still seems strange to me that currently my shirts go to an ironing service and that counts as taxable economic activity but if I paid my DW to do them instead it counts as nothing.

An ironing service is a business.  Your DW isn't.  

michaels

Pennywise said:

michaels said:

MovingForwards said:

Wonder what 'service' he will want to pay her for next.

We did all those jokes in the other thread already

Still seems strange to me that currently my shirts go to an ironing service and that counts as taxable economic activity but if I paid my DW to do them instead it counts as nothing.

An ironing service is a business.  Your DW isn't.  

But she can start an ironing business and iron my neighbours shirts and my neighbours husband can iron my shirts and it is all a business... What if she employed a Deliveroo driver to collect the shirts from the house and deliver them to her business premises in the front room?

Grumpy_chap

michaels said:

But she can start an ironing business and iron my neighbours shirts and my neighbours husband can iron my shirts and it is all a business... What if she employed a Deliveroo driver to collect the shirts from the house and deliver them to her business premises in the front room?

Yes, all those things are possible.  Does your neighbour's husband want to iron your shirts?
This is also going to result in a nett outflow of money from your combined income / assets:

• Your wife will need to pay tax and NI on the money she is paid by you to iron her shirts
• You need to pat the Deliveroo fees
• You need to cover the cost of the Accountant to manage your wife's business accounts
• Your wife needs to open and pay fees for a business bank acocunt
• Your wife needs to carry business insurances and cover liablities
• Etc.

There is a mechanism in the tax system for transferring tax benefits between partners - it is called "Marriage Allowance" and if you don't qualify, then unfortunately no amount of "buying service" between each other is going to give you the nett benefit your hope for.  If you were unfortunate enough to fall on bad times, the fact your wife now has an income would be considered as part of your joint assessment for UC, so you could do yourself out of that as well.  Obviously, you hope you will never need to claim UC, but none of us ever know what is around the corner.


This is an advice forum and, in two threads, you have been given the same advice that the scheme will not fly.  If you remain unhappy with the answer, you could ask the same question in yet another thread.  Maybe try the "I have a flawed idea but want to be assured it is great, so please don't dis me" forum.  Or Mumsnet.