Self employed question.

[alvin100]

Hi everyone, Im self employed, nearly two years now and im about to do my self assesment on line.
Can anyone tell me if I can claim back my mobile phone bills against my tax as a business expenditure. I have the phone on monthly fixed contract and it is almost entirely used for business calls.

Also are there any good websites (not the Inland revenue site please) that can tell me what I can and cant claim for against tax.
I want to make sure I pay the right amount of tax but obviously dont want to miss out on legitamate business allowances.

Thanks

[naz_nomad]

Yes, claim for the phone calls ... in fact, claim for everything, the Tax Office can disregard anything they don't like.

[alvin100]

Trouble is, the self assesment form only asks for total claim figures, not details, I dont want to claim for stuff that I may end up paying back in a year or two if I get checked up on.!!!

[naz_nomad]

life's a gamble, eh?

providing you're not 'obviously' taking the 'p', why would they check?

[makemesmile]

I'd advise you to use an accountant. Sounds expensive, but it's not. They'll advise you on exactly what you can claim and what you can't.

Do you have a vehicle that you use for your business? Do you work from home? They'll make sure you're not paying more tax than you should be.

My accountant has proved invaluable - and definitely saved me more money than they've cost me.

You could always use them for one tax return, then, when you know what's what, you could submit future returns yourself.

[Hard@it]

Makemesmile has the best idea, better being straight at the start and if you make sure all your books are correct to begin with - it's easier for them and saves you a lot of bother ! Cheers Hard@it

[jedimistress]

If you are only on self assessment and have no further obligations, then you could skip the accountant and go to a Tax Advisor. There are many out there. Example www.taxfile.co.uk

They are much cheaper. You do not need to be an accountant to do a tax return. There are people versed in tax who will help you for half the cost of an accountant. It's like employing a doctor to put on a plaster.

Yes, claim for the mobile. Remove any percentage you may think is for personal use.

[ummmm]

You can claim for everything that is a business expence and as long as you have the receipts and a basic set of accounts you won't be asked to pay it back. There are general categories such as motoring costs and premises etc. The rest go in other. Make sure you claim everything including things such as parking fees, car tax, mot, insurance, petrol, protective clothing, Mobile phones, stationary. Do you use your home as an office? You can claim for that to

[ummmm]

Don't bother using an accountant. They charge you between 250 and 400 to fill in a form.

[alvin100]

Thanks for the answers so far, At present I claim the tax relief against mileage rather than opt for individual motoring expenses as I think this works out best for me.

[deso]

Yes you can claim the cost of business calls on your mobile but not the monthly contract costs unless you can show that it's entirely for business use. Sorry naz_nomad but the tax office will NOT disregard anything they "don't like" at all. They'll accept it initially but might flag it up for enquiry later, or you could be selected at random for an enquiry. If you have itemised phone bills, keep them, just like any other receipts and invoices. In theory you should be able to account for every penny claimed as an expense if the taxman queries it.