Self Assessment - Travel and Accommodation

[richieboy]

Hello. I'm filling in my tax return for the first time (online) and have a couple of questions.

I worked as a contractor web designer in London for 6 weeks (usually live in Sheffield) and was wondering whether I should/can tell them about the house I rented for 6 weeks and the daily train costs to get to work?

If yes, which pages/fields should I add this to?

Thanks,
R

[xoggoth]

They should not be taxable. Usually declared twice, once as benefits received and once as expenses to do the job so they cancel out. Having said that, I have started mine and haven't seen the latter. It must be there somewhere or perhaps on rereading the one entry they have combined it. Check the supplied calcs anyway to be sure.

[richieboy]

Thanks for the reply, but I think I'm a bit slow here and maybe I didn't explain myself too well. Accommodation wise, I left my flat in Sheffield unoccupied and paid the mortgage, then I paid a landlord rent to stay in London. Therefore I was paying two lots of accommodation but only staying in one.

I can't see how paying someone rent and paying additional travel costs can be classed as benefits. Both only seem to be expenses to me, both are away from my "base" and both are required for me to carry out my self employment. Or am I missing something in the terminology?

Cheers

[jmo21]

Hello. I'm filling in my tax return for the first time (online) and have a couple of questions.

I worked as a contractor web designer in London for 6 weeks (usually live in Sheffield) and was wondering whether I should/can tell them about the house I rented for 6 weeks and the daily train costs to get to work?

If yes, which pages/fields should I add this to?

Thanks,
R

not much going on Xmas day then

[richieboy]

Christmas is not as much fun as it used to be

[TykeMerc]

Thanks for the reply, but I think I'm a bit slow here and maybe I didn't explain myself too well. Accommodation wise, I left my flat in Sheffield unoccupied and paid the mortgage, then I paid a landlord rent to stay in London. Therefore I was paying two lots of accommodation but only staying in one.

I can't see how paying someone rent and paying additional travel costs can be classed as benefits. Both only seem to be expenses to me, both are away from my "base" and both are required for me to carry out my self employment. Or am I missing something in the terminology?

Cheers

Nope the costs you paid for aren't benefits, but expenses incurred as a direct result of doing business.

[Bob Jones]

I have a concern about this question - if the engagement to which you refer was a one off employment then the expenses to which you refer are not allowable. If, however, you work through your own company or an umbrella with an overarching contract, the expense is likely to be allowable. First you need to ascertain that the expense is allowable. If it is allowable then it goes in the box described as business travel and subsistence.However, if you were working through an umbrella, then it is likely that the umbrella has a dispensation, in which case there is no entry to made on the return. If you worked through your own company then there will be no dispensation and if the company paid the bill you need to record that fact as well as claiming the expense as allowable - the best way is to use the box expenses payments received and use the white space on the return to explain the background - in other words there will be two entries of the same amount that cancel out each other together with an explanation.
Bob
http://www.contractoralliance.co.uk/...ctor_expenses/
www.internet-taxation.co.uk

[xoggoth]

Submitted mine today and see why you had a problem.

To get the relevant section about valid expenses you incurred doing your job you have to tick a box that says "expenses payments not reimbursed" Obviously if you incurred expenses and paid yourself back from the company you have been reimbursed, don't these people speak English?

It seems clear from the full printed copy and the final calculation (x expenses paid by company, x incurred in doing job, net benefit=0) that you should tick the box. I rang and checked at help desk.

PS Dont bother with the "additional information" box either, it won't save.