Tax: Claiming Work Expenses as an Assistant Vet

Re: Tax: Claiming Work Expenses as an Assistant Vet

mariette asselbergs — Sun, 27 Jan 2013 21:43:53 GMT

You can also claim expenses on professional clothing and if you spend money on your own kit and equipment. Phone costs (top ups on phone you use for the practice. And if you have to work away from home or practice during the day you can put up £5.00 for lunch.

HRMC has courses for self assessment and they are very helpful in advisin g your specific questions during these courses.

Mariette

Re: Tax: Claiming Work Expenses as an Assistant Vet

Ian Mostyn — Sat, 26 Jan 2013 17:15:43 GMT

[quote user="Neal Palk"]

As you're PAYE your options are very few - CPD elements and professional membership fees are about the lot!!

[/quote]

If you write to HMRC with copies of your RCVS, BVA, BSAVA bill etc then they can alter your tax code to give you them tax free or you can claim them on your tax return and offset your rental income. You can claim for uniform expenses and work related training courses. Give HMRC a ring on

Opening hours: 8.00 am to 8.00 pm, Monday to Friday
8.00 am to 4.00 pm Saturday

0845 300 0627

Ian

Re: Tax: Claiming Work Expenses as an Assistant Vet

Neal Palk — Sat, 26 Jan 2013 11:33:55 GMT

As you're PAYE your options are very few - CPD elements and professional membership fees are about the lot!!

Re: Tax: Claiming Work Expenses as an Assistant Vet

Bob Russell — Sat, 26 Jan 2013 10:28:24 GMT

iPad with practice computer programs installed could be OK but probably not worth the hassle really.

Re: Tax: Claiming Work Expenses as an Assistant Vet

james herriot lied — Fri, 25 Jan 2013 18:56:46 GMT

[quote user="dan forster"]

I am on PAYE system but also fill a tax return for rental income I'm aware that I can claim RCVS fees but have been told by taxman I can not claim any Certificate/CPD costs.

[/quote]

And to be fair, s/he should know. I am self-employed, and this is a long-standing thorny issue, as until now it's been the case that CPD hasn't been essential to your work as a vet. However, with mandatory CPD - i.e. you'll be struck off if you don't do it - this argument should change, albeit with the usual inertia that accompanies changes in your favour (as opposed to tax hikes, in which the delay in imposing them is defined as the shortest unit of time measurable with an atomic clock). I don't get to claim for CPD - which is fine, because I pretty much do all of it for free, one way or another.

I don't bother using my registered business address - my home - as a tax perk, for reasons laid out above. Ditto my car; it's just not really worth it.

Phone bills for work, professional fees, VDS. All good for tax purposes. iPods, not so much.

Re: Tax: Claiming Work Expenses as an Assistant Vet

Charlotte Marshall — Fri, 25 Jan 2013 18:28:19 GMT

Certainly RCVS fees can be set against tax they will also allow BVA and BSAVA fees. I also have a small amount each year for textbooks but have no idea re office space etc.

Re: Tax: Claiming Work Expenses as an Assistant Vet

Michael Woodhouse — Fri, 25 Jan 2013 16:54:50 GMT

I looked at this when employed and came to the conclusion that it wasn't worth the hassle for a few pounds.

Does your practice not pay your RCVS?

Re: Tax: Claiming Work Expenses as an Assistant Vet

Evelyn Barbour-Hill — Fri, 25 Jan 2013 15:57:46 GMT

You would be better off negotiating with your employer to have the practice fund all your CPD. The business can set that against tax.

Claiming for your iPod is pushing the rules too far in my opinion.

I think you could only claim for a home office if you had a substantial amount of office work to do in connection with your letting business. If you use your home as office to do a substantial amount of paperwork as part of your employment, you should try getting your employer to pay you for it. I don't think claiming that your home is where you read your journals would cut much ice with the taxman.

Re: Tax: Claiming Work Expenses as an Assistant Vet

Neil Wheadon — Fri, 25 Jan 2013 15:38:20 GMT

[quote user="dan forster"] My boss mentioned that I should claim work expenses for my ipad, laptop, ipods, etc as they are used for CPD[/quote]

[quote user="dan forster"]have been told by taxman I can not claim any Certificate/CPD costs[/quote]

Here's a can of worms. It looks like you can claim if you don't bother to take an exam at the end of it? (It applies to doctors and guess we're no different in the eyes of the HMRC - see below

if the CPD led to an additional qualification it could be described as ‘betterment’ allowing the doctor the potential to earn more in the future. Consequently this could not be deemed an allowable expense. This was just one of several areas where doctors need to take care,

ref http://www.aisma.org.uk/news/hmrc-sharpens-its-focus-on-gps/

Neil

Re: Tax: Claiming Work Expenses as an Assistant Vet

Evelyn Barbour-Hill — Fri, 25 Jan 2013 15:25:21 GMT

[quote user="dan forster"]but have been told by taxman I can not claim any Certificate/CPD costs[/quote]

I think he is wrong. Can you challenge that one?

[quote user="dan forster"]My boss mentioned that I should claim work expenses for my ipad, laptop, ipods, etc as they are used for CPD.[/quote]

A bit dubious unless you can show they cannot be used for anything personal .

[quote user="dan forster"]He also mentioned I should claim use of home as office space and the cost of my broadband. [/quote]

You can claim that one room or half a room is your office, if you can show that that is really the case. It's not necessarily a good idea, though; for instance, you might then have to pay business rates on that room.

[quote user="dan forster"] is my boss trying to avoid broaching the matter of a pay increase by suggesting i make work expense claims to the taxman that are not allowable?[/quote]

Yes, probably.

If you are a member of BVA you can get advice.