Working away as self employed

Working away as self employed

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Evening all

I'm looking for advice not criticism please.

As a director of a Ltd company, providing national administration services I am looking for some advice on what I can claim on my SA.

I live in Essex but have been on a 3-6 month contract in the Midlands which would be too far for me to commute daily. My mother has just died who lived up that way - circa 13 mile from the job I'm doing so I have bought my sibling out of their share of the house so I have somewhere to live Monday -Friday whilst working as opposed to paying for a hotel every night. Is there anything I can claim please? If it hadn't been local I would have obviously put myself in a hotel each night. However if I'd have not stayed in the property I would have rented it out for around £550 per month. Also with regards to subsistence - what can I claim? If any?

Thanks in advance - if you are likely to be critical of my questioning as I have seen often from reading this website please do not respond. Helpful advice only please :-)

Thank you in advance.

Replies (11)

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By cheekychappy
22nd Dec 2015 00:14

Firstly, this website is for those associated with the accounting profession. Try not to dictate the responses in light of this.

Secondly, the answer is no.

Thirdly, I would recommend engaging an accountant.

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By Tim Vane
22nd Dec 2015 00:49

First, may I decline your kind invitation to offer only the advice that you think I should give. This is, after all, a website forum aimed at us professionals, so I hope you'll forgive some of our responses when somebody dives in and tries to dictate what we should be saying. As you have noticed we do often get non-professionals on here and it is perfectly possible that many of them do not realise when asking their question that this forum is not intended for them. It is clear that you are perfectly aware of the nature of the forum but have decided anyway to crash in uninvited and demand (not entirely unrudely) that somebody listen to your most important query.

As an aside, why do the people who come on looking for free advice always have to impress on us that they have plenty of money? When you could have afforded a hotel and can afford to buy somebody's share of a home then it is galling indeed to hear that you don't think the relatively modest price of advice from a professional accountant to be worth spending proper money on at all.

I do hope that, having gone to all the trouble of taking the contract and putting yourself out so much, the people to whom you were providing your services did in fact feel obliged to pay you for your valuable time and expertise. One does expect to be paid for services rendered, doesn't one? However, perhaps if they had asked you very politely to provide your services for free, you would have been more than accommodating, and so maybe I am being unfair. So in that spirit, and because it's christmas, I will happily advise you that there are almost certainly arrangements that would have worked to ensure that some of your expenses were tax deductible.

Sadly, what's done is done. If only you had thought to engage an accountant before your trip, you may well have found it to your very great advantage.

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Replying to jcace:
By Tim1
22nd Dec 2015 07:47

Well said Mr Vane - have a thanks!

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RLI
By lionofludesch
22nd Dec 2015 08:56

Helpful advice

My helpful advice is - get an accountant.

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By thomas34
22nd Dec 2015 08:57

Self-Employed?

The title says "self-employed" but the first sentence mentions being a director (employed). Rules are different for each situation.

The answer to the question depends upon a number of factors not least of which is whether the contract falls within IR35. This is a straightforward matter which can easily be Googled by non-professionals. I'd therefore advise the OP to address this as a starting point.

 

 

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By cheekychappy
22nd Dec 2015 09:02

I revoke my earlier comment.

Having now had a look at the OP’s previous questions, it seems we have an incompetent and not a freeloader.

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RLI
By lionofludesch
22nd Dec 2015 09:13

With respect to the OP

With respect, sir, you don't seem to be clear on whether you're self employed or a director of a limited company and I'm minded to think that any advice we might give would fall on stony ground.

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Hitch photo
By Kevin Kavanagh
22nd Dec 2015 10:41

Is it just me? The OP takes a very firm stance, giving the impression he or she is not a professional. But earlier posts (e.g. 15.05.15) refer to clients?

Isn't this exactly the basic sort of question we would expect our clients to ask us?

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By Anne Robinson
22nd Dec 2015 10:53

This is a reply OP made to a query from another poster
"I am also CIMA but practice under the AAT and after checking with CIMA I didn't need a practicing license under them, just the AAT. I recommend you get PI to protect yourself, and yes you will need to register as an agent to be able to make the necessary submissions."

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By Vaughan Blake1
22nd Dec 2015 12:33

Come on guys it is Christmas!

What you need to do is make a section 235 claim, on a pro -rata basis but annualised with compensatory sub section 2 adjustments for non-recurring fungible intangibles.

Seriously, this is quite a complex and currently changing area of tax.  It could be quite expensive to get this wrong, so speak to the company accountant or appoint a personal one.  They may also save you tax in other areas, such as remuneration/retirement planning.

Alternatively, you could use your local pub. Ask to speak to the designated B.I.P. (bloke in pub). Friday afternoons are the best.

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By thomas34
22nd Dec 2015 13:58

The bit about

staying in Mum's house made me smile because it reminded me of a client that has a few buy to let properties. He decided to pay off one of the mortgages but was still claiming for mortgage interest. When asked he said that he would have claimed for interest if he hadn't paid off the loan so thought it was reasonable to continue claiming.

The OP seems to be applying the "If my Auntie had balls" rule (TMA1970 I think).

 

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