Staying overseas and claiming travel expenses

[xchaotic]

Those of you, who travel a lot, for instance for conferences or simply to meet potential clients.
Do you claim all travel related expenses? Any problems with that?
Tax-wise or otherwise, is there a limit to how much should I stay within UK borders in a given year, I think I remember reading something about 184 days...

[pmeswani]

Those of you, who travel a lot, for instance for conferences or simply to meet potential clients.
Do you claim all travel related expenses? Any problems with that?
Tax-wise or otherwise, is there a limit to how much should I stay within UK borders in a given year, I think I remember reading something about 184 days...

I don't claim for things like going to exhibitions or interviews as it isn't something I bill the client for. So in essence, if it is official business and I bill the client, I will claim some expenses, otherwise where's the proof I visited a client if mr Taxman asks?

[Platypus]

I don't claim for things like going to exhibitions or interviews as it isn't something I bill the client for. So in essence, if it is official business and I bill the client, I will claim some expenses, otherwise where's the proof I visited a client if mr Taxman asks?

I claim for everything that is business related, i.e. stuff I wouldn't do if I had no need to work. This would include exhibitions etc.

"Proof" if the taxman asks? Oh dear. Well for the occasional trip where there are no receipts, he'd have to take my word for it. I frankly doubt that a tax investigation would seek proof for every trip I'd ever made by searching through receipts on the off-chance I'd tried to illegally claim £20 every now and again. I think pmeswani is being paranoid here.

[NotAllThere]

If you're working through a brolly, it may well be that they limit what you can claim.

However, if you've your own ltdco, most activities which are entirely for the business, are deductable. Do you think that when permies go to conferences, or pre-sales consultancy (aka interview), that they don't claim expenses from their company, or that their companies don't claim the expenses against tax?

If you went to an interview and you went by train, or stayed overnight, then there's the receipts for that, should the tax man ask. If you drove and did it in a day, you just keep a record of your mileage.

If you've been to a conference in Vegas, then you'll have plane tickets, hotel receipts etc.

The only difficulty is if you went to Vegas for a conference, and then took a few extra days to loose all your money at the casinos. Then the activity wouldn't be entirely for the benefit of the company, and the WHOLE claim may be disallowed.

[NotAllThere]

Those of you, who travel a lot, for instance for conferences or simply to meet potential clients.
Do you claim all travel related expenses? Any problems with that?
Tax-wise or otherwise, is there a limit to how much should I stay within UK borders in a given year, I think I remember reading something about 184 days...

It's the other way round. Tax wise don't be in the UK for more than 183 days in a single year, and an average of 92 days over any four year period. Or something like that. You have to be tax-resident somewhere, but if you can establish it outside of the UK in a lower tax regime, that's got to be better.

[xchaotic]

Thanks for the helpful answers.

but if you can establish it outside of the UK in a lower tax regime, that's got to be better.

On the other hand if the 'other' place is taxed even higher, then it doesn't make much sense, hence my original wording of the question.

However I'm still unsure about claiming for travel. If I choose to spend extended amounts of time outside of UK and work from there, then come back to the client's office and then back out of UK, is that something that is reasonable to claim?

After all, if it weren't for the need to visit the client's office, I would have just stayed overseas and wouldn't have to spend money on travel... so it seems a perfectly valid expense?

Lech

[NotAllThere]

Seems reasonable to me.