Sole trader house bills

[rocketmanbkk]

Hi friends

So, those who are sole traders, do you put part or all of your utility bills, Internet bill, home phone, mobile bills etc. As an outgoing?

I put my mobile & home Internet/phone down but can I put some or all of my gas/elec/water bills down also?

I know about van outgoings etc. But I also put my car outgoings down as well.

Any thoughts? Any tips of what else can be used to keep profit down?

 

[Masood]

I put my mobile & home Internet/phone down but can I put some or all of my gas/elec/water bills down also?

Yes, you can in proportion to how much of your home is office space.

I know about van outgoings etc. But I also put my car outgoings down as well.

Are you allowed to do that? I thought only the business vehicle was allowed..

 

[rocketmanbkk]

I use the car for quotes and other bits !!

I'll put a bit if gas/electric & water down then.

All good!

Thanks for replying

 

[Masood]

I use the car for quotes and other bits !!

Fair enough, valid business use then!

 

[Ray Stafford]

I use the car for quotes and other bits !!

Then keep a written record of it. The taxman is likely to challenge it, and without records, you may have a problem.

 

[rocketmanbkk]

Yes, will do. Thx

 

[Chalked]

I was told not to put any receipts for car use, for the small bit of relief they may cut you personal tax allowance.
You can only claim for a percentage of a room cost if it is used for other purpose.

 

[BLOD]

If you use a room exclusively for work and claim for that percentage of all your house bills you might find you owe the same percentage in capital gains tax when you sell the house.

 

[julesverne]

When I did the self assessment course many moons ago at the hmrc office in Bradford. They said to work it out was divide bill by how many rooms in the house and that was the figure we could use. I claim for all my land line costs as it always used for business as all the family use mobiles. And I claim 25 % for broadband use.due to the amount of time I spend on ray's website

 

[lame plumber]

use an accountant and you will more than recoup their costs if they are any good.

 

[AWheating]

It's quite simple, it's just approx percentages. Keep receipts.

 

[lame plumber]

make sure your car also has business cover if you want to claim on it, or youll cop it fm police and or hmrc if they want to give you grief

 

[kirkgas]

Then keep a written record of it. The taxman is likely to challenge it, and without records, you may have a problem.

And make sure your car insurance policy is a business policy