Buying Apple laptop with education discount and claiming as business expense?

[mekondelta]

I'm just about to start contracting (again!) and need to buy a laptop. I've settled on a MacBook Pro. I've not yet set a company up but I'm told I can buy things for the company before it is set up. I could get the laptop via the Apple Education Store with a discount but I'm worried there'll be a problem when I claim this as a business expense. Is there likely to be any problem claiming the laptop as a business expense (claiming VAT back, making it a company asset etc) if I buy it through the Apple Education Store?

[NickFitz]

I can't believe I'm answering this...

If you are fully entitled to take advantage of an educational discount then it shouldn't be a problem.

If you're just a cheeky bleeder who's sussed out a way of getting educational discounts to which you are not entitled, then you deserve a really big problem involving the risk of being sent to prison for tax fraud.

HTH

[moorfield]

I don't see any problem at all with buying the laptop individually using a discount then selling to ltdco at a later date - as long as you dont sell at a profit.

[NotAllThere]

That's what I'd do. Of course, you don't get the VAT back. If you want that, it has to be your company that buys it from Apple, and it would have to be your company that has the entitlement to the discount.

[daviejones]

A jolly good laptop. I have 2 of those!!!

[ASB]

That's what I'd do. Of course, you don't get the VAT back. If you want that, it has to be your company that buys it from Apple, and it would have to be your company that has the entitlement to the discount.

The VAT may still be reclaimable. The general rule is that the person who incurred the expense becomes an officer of the company and thay they were reimbursed in full (though the reimbursement can just be posted through the directors account). Of course it will depend upon when the OP becomes vat registered and whether they go onto FRS.

[THEPUMA]

The VAT may still be reclaimable. The general rule is that the person who incurred the expense becomes an officer of the company and thay they were reimbursed in full (though the reimbursement can just be posted through the directors account). Of course it will depend upon when the OP becomes vat registered and whether they go onto FRS.

I don't think the FRS is relevant here. You can still reclaim pre-reg VAT.

[ratewhore]

Things must be bad if you need to find a discount and also put it through the books to buy one.

Seems to me loads of contractors spend more time trying to save a couple of pound here and there than they spend time actually working...