MacPherson Mystery Shopping

Chas

Some companies are PAYE so the tax will be deducted at basic rate, unless you complete a P46.

Others operate on a self employed basis so you MUST register as self employed. It's not all bad though - you can offset your mobile phone bills, internet access, petrol etc against your tax. But not all of it, obviously! Only the element relating to your work

Saveit

Ps I have never worked for this company and would not because "cowboys" in the building trade come to mind!!

hjb123

I am with TNS and they pay well, and are an excellent company

https://www.tns-global.co.uk

You can sign up online and fill all the results from mystery shops online

Shiggaddi

Been lurking around these forums for a while, but finally decided to register.

I am with NOP mystery shopping, as my ex girlfriend recommended them. They have been very good, and very reliable with payments.

They also pay you on PAYE, so no need to worry about tax. However they only pay 23p per mile, so it might be worthwhile to contact the IR about claiming further tax relief as you're entitled to 40p per mile tax free.

Also, they pay expenses, not just your petrol, but also printing allowance, parking, and of course purchases.

I am considering signing up with a few other agencies, as the NOP work has been very quiet the last few weeks, but from other posters, seen that you might have to register as self employed. I have heard that if you're earning below £800 through self employment, and also have paid employment, and pay normal tax etc, then the IR can treat it as income from hobbies etc, and you don't have to pay any tax.

And by the time you offset some of your mileage, mobile/landline phone bill, internet connection, and printing into the equation, then you might be able to earn £30 per week on average from agencies that you have to register as self employed for. That is about 2-4 jobs weekly (averaged through the year), in addition to work from PAYE agencies such as NOP.

I already work full time, and with already doing NOP work, I probably won't manage to get enough self employed mystery shopping work to trigger the £800 limit.

Moggle

Chas wrote:

Are you a member of the mystery shoppers forum? https://www.mysteryshoppersuk.com

If you register with them you will find lots of comments about MacPherson (who are now known as Mysterium & 24-7) & lots of people who will be able to help.

I just went to register and this info was there (haven't been able to look at forum yet as membership not confirmed yet).

"MACPHERSON MYSTERY SHOPPING & RESEARCH LIMITED - Notice is hereby given pursuant to section 98 of the Insolvency Act 1986 that a meeting of the creditors of the above company will be held at Cedar Court Hotel Ainley Top Huddersfield West Yorkshire HD3 3RH, on 04/10/2005 at 11:30am for the purposes mentioned in section 99 to 101 of the said Act. One of the matters that may be the subject of resolutions at the meeting is the terms on which the Joint Liquidators are to be remunerated. In addition the meeting will be called upon to approve the costs of preparing the statement of affairs and convening the meeting. Pursuant to section 98(2)(a) of the Act, Neil Henry and Michael Simister of Lines Henry, 27 The Downs, Altrincham, Cheshire, WA14 2QD who are qualified to act as insolvency practitioners in relation to the company will, between 10.00am and 4.00pm on the two business days preceding the date of the meeting stated above, furnish creditors, free of charge, with such information as they may be reasonably due."

Shiggaddi

Have now registered with TNS. They asked alot of questions, not personal ones, but to assess whether you're up to the job, which is a good thing, as they don't just take on anyone. Also, they're on PAYE so no need to worry about the tax situation yet.

Just need to wait for their response.

Becles

Shiggaddi wrote:

I have heard that if you're earning below £800 through self employment, and also have paid employment, and pay normal tax etc, then the IR can treat it as income from hobbies etc, and you don't have to pay any tax.

I'm sorry, but that's a load of rubbish!

Even if you earn just 1p from self employment you must tell the tax man. If you are earning extra money and do not register as self employed, you will be fined. You must register within 3 months of starting up.

If you have PAYE employment and are paying Class 1 NI contributions, and will only be earning a small amount from self employment (I think it's under approx £4500), you can register for a small earnings exemption certificate. This means you don't have to pay Class 2 NI. You still have to pay tax though.

If you do register as self employment, you will have to submit a tax return each year. You can claim the additional milage in the NOP example you quoted above, on the tax return form. This will reduce your overall bill.

Shiggaddi

OK, thanks for that Beccles, luckily with my registration with NOP, and TNS they are both on PAYE.

I do pay tax at the basic rate on my fees for NOP, but naturally my expenses are all tax free. I've only just signed up to TNS, so don't know whether I'll be accepted yet.

I'm not paying the full National Insurance, because I'm in a company pension scheme, which means I'm paying something like 9.5% instead of 11% (Not sure of the exact details) but basically means I'm not contributing to a state pension (which probably won't exist anyway when I retire in over 30 years time!!) What is the situation on Class 2 now?

I have only been with NOP for a short while, and their pay periods are fortnighly, and I have only paid tax, but not NI because my earnings are below the NI threashold each time.

If I don't go for any other mystery shopping agencies, would a tax return still be necessary, in order to claim the difference in mileage, or do they have a watered down version where I can just tell them the details of the mileage that I'm claiming?

calleyw

Shiggaddi wrote:

I am considering signing up with a few other agencies, as the NOP work has been very quiet the last few weeks, but from other posters, seen that you might have to register as self employed. I have heard that if you're earning below £800 through self employment, and also have paid employment, and pay normal tax etc, then the IR can treat it as income from hobbies etc, and you don't have to pay any tax.

Shiggaddi,

I assume you are referring to this

4. Small Earnings Exceptions

4.2 An employed person (i.e. a Class 1 contribution payer), who also has earnings from another source which are viewed as self-employed work, can have this additional employment disregarded. If the type of work is in the nature of a hobby and it is not categorised as gainful ordinary self-employment, a decision to disregard it can be made as long as the annual income from this work does not exceed £800.

.3 The NICO do not keep records of decisions to disregard such self-employed work, so Special Section A will be unable to confirm this decision. However, in such cases, the people concerned should have been issued with standard letters C2GL0012 from the NICO's Self Employed Directorate confirming that the self-employment has been disregarded. Earnings exceeding £800 from self-employment cannot be disregarded, and the self-employment must be registered with the NICO in the normal way. An application for SEE should be made if the earnings are between £800 and the current SEE level, regardless of the nature of the self-employed work carried out.

it is from http://www.ind.homeoffice.gov.uk/in..._insurance.html

It is rather well hidden but is on the homeoffice website rather than the inland revenue one.


So may not not quite so much rubbish as another poster made it out to be. Always best to double check with the IR to see what they will do though.

Yours

Calley

Shiggaddi

Yes, that is exactly what I have heard. It all depends on whether mystery shopping is classed as a job, or a hobby. I already have done a few mystery shops for NOP, and awaiting TNS for approval, both on PAYE. If I should sign up for a 3rd agency, and they happen to be self employed then I would have to consider this route.

Also, I assume the £800 is net profits. If I'm paid for example £10 for doing a job, but £50 for test purchase, and £10 for petrol then surely it's only £10 towards the £800, instead of £70, and possibly less than £10 if I'm paid less than 40p per mile!!