Claiming food and drink as tax relief

Hi everyone,

Does anyone claim for food and drink as an expense as apparently hmrc have apparently 'closed the gap' so self employed people can claim as well as employees.

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Yes mate if you are working long hours you can claim for sustenance, I think its 10hr+.

paul alan said:

Yes mate if you are working long hours you can claim for sustenance, I think its 10hr+.

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Cheers Paul

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Hi

I think you have to be a more than 35 miles from your business address  

Martin

Cjtb said:

Hi everyone,

Does anyone claim for food and drink as an expense as apparently hmrc have apparently 'closed the gap' so self employed people can claim as well as employees.

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Click to expand...

Personally I think you need to phone the receiver and ask the question.

I asked that question about 15 years ago. The answer was that if you are a local window cleaner working in the local area then no, you can't claim. If you then got a one off or occassional job well out of the area then you could claim a meal for sustenance, but if its questioned by the Receiver then you have to justify the reason and convince them why they should accept your claim. How long were you away and why couldn't you make a pack lunch and a hot drink in a Thermos flask before you left?

https://www.crunch.co.uk/knowledge/tax/lunch-expenses-can-you-claim/

They call your tax return self assessment, how you see your business; but its only self assessment on the Receivers side when it suits them. If you don't work a particular day, then do you claim sustenance? After all you need food today so you can work tomorrow. Why not claim all your groceries?

If you claim £5 a working day then thats £105 per month which translates in £1260 a year. You can claim what you like but if they do an investigation then they go back 5 years. If that's the only thing they find then there is tax to pay on £6000.  You then have a 'red flag' against your name and you will be subject to regular investigations if they feel the amount they are loosing justifies the cost of chasing your return.

If you do your own tax return, then the Receiver may see you as an easy target - having a clued up accountant means less chance of the Receiver questioning your return.

.

Ok, that's really helpful spruce, I cover a very large area so regularly get lunch out. I'll give them a call to see what they say.
Thanks again

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Cjtb said:

Ok, that's really helpful spruce, I cover a very large area so regularly get lunch out. I'll give them a call to see what they say.
Thanks again

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If you put £50 a month through you will save yourself £120 a year on tax. As it's one of the questionable tax claims you will more than likely get called in to explain why. 

Personally for all the faff of keeping the receipts and the potential enquiry I don't bother, and I spend 30+ days a year working away and stay in hotels. 

I thought it was a perk of the job when working for oneself. I was going to claim £3 a day but now I will just dodge it. As PT says, not worth the candle.

Just wanted to mention my accounting software with an app where I can just take a picture of the receipt, and it automatically appears in my account. You need to confirm the numbers, but it leaves no paper trail.

It's made for danish bookkeeping rules though, but I'm sure there's similar tools in the UK.

Just a heads up.

Nudel said:

Just wanted to mention my accounting software with an app where I can just take a picture of the receipt, and it automatically appears in my account. You need to confirm the numbers, but it leaves no paper trail.
 
It's made for danish bookkeeping rules though, but I'm sure there's similar tools in the UK.
 
Just a heads up.

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Quick books does it. Accounting apps are getting that good these days having an accountant for a small business will soon be a thing of the past I reckon.


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