Dasa Consulting Limited

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Allowable Expenses

The key to the cost effective administration of your affairs by Dasa Consulting Limited is the schedule of claimable expenses, and the principles behind them, which have been agreed with the Inland Revenue.

It is tax efficient to maximise your personal expense claim however this will not completely eliminate any tax liability and you cannot claim any expenses which are not justified or "vouched" by the appropriate receipt or invoice. In addition, we will check your expense claims when you submit them. In addition, the Inland Revenue may choose to enquire into your tax affairs under their normal powers and the fact that your affairs are administered by Dasa Consulting Limited in no way changes this.

What are allowable expenses:

Set out below are brief summaries of the rules for expense and travel claims.

Travel Expenses
Travel expenses incurred in the course of your duties are an allowable expense, for example visiting a site from your office. Travel to and from a temporary place of work is also allowable.

Travel should normally be by second class rail or standard class air fares.

TIP: Buy your tickets with your bank debit card or credit card so that you have a receipt slip that can be used to vouch the expense and confirm the journey.

Motor Expenses
If you use your own car for business motoring, e.g. visiting sites or home to temporary workplace, then you may claim an allowable expense of 40p per mile for the first 10,000 miles and 25p per mile thereafter. To claim this, you need to maintain a log of your business journeys which should be written up on a daily basis. Also, parking costs may be claimed as can the Congestion Charge in London.

Other mileage rates are claimable for use of motorcycles and bicycles.

TIP: Keep a diary in the car and write your journeys in it along with the start and finish mileage readings and any additional costs such as parking (keep the ticket), etc.

Overnight Accommodation
If you have to work away from your "normal place of employment" you may have to use overnight accommodation such as hotels, etc. An element of common sense is necessary in these circumstances. Dasa Consultancy Limited has negotiated agreed overnight rates for subsistence rates. Please note that two different rates apply, depending on your proximity to central London.

If you stay with friends or family, you may claim expenses of up to £40 per night but you will need to provide a receipt.

Subsistence
If you work away from your "normal place of work" or at a "temporary" workplace, you may claim expenses in respect of a meal allowance. These amounts can be substantiated from your time sheet.

TIP: Remember to claim these expenses when you fill in your timesheet. It is the easiest time to remember them.

Entertainment
You must be careful with this. Entertainment can be an allowable expense but only in certain specific circumstances. The rules surrounding this area are very tricky. If you are requested to entertain clients by the contractor you are working with, you must make arrangements to claim any expenses in respect of this directly from the contactor.

Clothing
Protective clothing such as waterproofs, high visibility clothing, overalls, work boots, etc are allowable areas of expense if your job necessitates them, for example for site visits. Also, the cleaning and maintenance of them is allowable.

Other clothing, such as business suits, are not allowable and neither is their upkeep, even if you may not wear such clothing other than for work.

Training & Professional Subscriptions
If you are a member of a professional body, you will incur membership fees, these are an allowable expense against your taxable income. In addition, most professional bodies require that their members should undertake training during the year to maintain their expertise. As such, subscriptions to professional publications are an allowable expense. Day or weekend training courses are usually allowable as well, when clearly tied into a professional update or perhaps a new piece of software or hardware.

Events such as week long "seminars" in exotic locations or golf days run by suppliers are more likely to be corporate hospitality events and, as such, not allowable expenses for tax purposes.

TIP: Be sensible about this. If you're enjoying it, it probably isn't a training experience. Usually the paperwork in respect of an event will clarify its nature. Make sure you keep supporting documentation.

Telephone Expenses
Business use of your own phone is also allowable for business calls. An itemised phone bill is required to substantiate your claim. The line rental, personal calls, messaging, etc is not allowable. If your contractor supplies you with a mobile phone, to better perform your duties, no benefit arises.

TIP: Reasonable use of a contractor's phone for personal calls will not usually create a benefit charge but check with your contractor first.

Other Expenses
Most personal expenses are not allowable expenses for tax purposes. Items such as hairdressing, dentistry, personal grooming, etc may not be claimed as expenses. Other sundry items such as the supply of equipment necessary for you to perform your duties are allowable.

TIP: If you have any doubts as to the allowability of an expense, please contact your Account Manager first to avoid any disappointment or frustration.

The detailed rules for expense claims are available from HM Revenue and Customs web site at: http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/guidance/480.pdf and for travel expenses at: http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/helpsheets/490.pdf

Both these leaflets are in Adobe pdf format and you will need to download the Adobe Acrobat Reader from this site, if you do not already have it.

Telephone:
0870 850 6106
Email:
info@dasaconsulting.co.uk

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