What can I claim?

[Bright Spark]

linky http://www.taxationweb.co.uk/tax-cli...ice-costs.html

[moorfield]

.

Reciepts from burger vans... jesus.. Are you that desperate to claim 2 quid?

WHS.

[escapeUK]

Also whilst out and about I am constantly buying lunch from burger vans, and getting a receipt from them is difficult and embarrasing... can I claim a certain amount for my food?

Forget about this its such a small amount. Say if you put a fiver through a day, and work 20 days a month. Thats £100 a month meaning u dont pay the £20 corporation tax. So thats all you are saving £240 a year if you arent on the higher rate of tax.

Instead, make sure you register for the flat vat scheme. You will make so much money on that you will be laughing.

I know i am! I make more on vat in a month than the £240 a year on food.

[Lumiere]

Lunch is an oft-debated topic (have a search) - you would always need to eat lunch regardless of where you are working, so many see it as non-claimable.

The same can be said about dinner when you are working away and staying overnight in a hotel. It is accepted practice to claim this though.

[TheFaQQer]

The same can be said about dinner when you are working away and staying overnight in a hotel. It is accepted practice to claim this though.

If you are working near home, what do you do for lunch? You either take it in with you, or buy lunch. So, the argument runs, that there is no difference if you are working near home or away from home.

If you are working near home, for your evening meal, you tend to eat at home. If you are away from home, you don't have that luxury, so have to eat out, which is where the fundamental difference lies.

IIRC, the guidelines from HMRC say something along the lines of being able to claim if there is a significant difference between the cost incurred when away from home and that incurred when at home.

[northernladuk]

The same can be said about dinner when you are working away and staying overnight in a hotel. It is accepted practice to claim this though.

You can eat ok for under a fiver at home. Can't do that very easily in an evening at a hotel so I don't think it's the same to be honest.

[Lumiere]

You can eat ok for under a fiver at home. Can't do that very easily in an evening at a hotel so I don't think it's the same to be honest.

When I had a gig near home I used to take packed lunches with me (substantial healthy food, you know). The estimated cost for something like boiled rice with steamed chicken and vegetables was less than £2 per meal when cooked at home. When I work away form home I can't really cook in the hotel, so have to buy alternatives from shops, and they are normally more expensive - £2 for the chicken bits, £1.50ish for rice and £1.50ish for salad. That's 2.5 times more expensive.

Same about dinner, you can eat for £5 at home or for £12.50 in Nandos.

I can't really see the difference.

[TheFaQQer]

When I had a gig near home I used to take packed lunches with me (substantial healthy food, you know). The estimated cost for something like boiled rice with steamed chicken and vegetables was less than £2 per meal when cooked at home. When I work away form home I can't really cook in the hotel, so have to buy alternatives from shops, and they are normally more expensive - £2 for the chicken bits, £1.50ish for rice and £1.50ish for salad. That's 2.5 times more expensive.

Same about dinner, you can it for £5 at home or for £12.50 in Nandos.

I can't really see the difference.

As I said - the HMRC rules are about it being significantly different in cost. If you can show that you would always take lunch from home in that cost £2, but if you are away from home, it will cost £5 then I see no problem with claiming it.

Evening meal is usually much more clear-cut, though, as the cost of eating out is usually significantly more than you would expect to pay to eat at home.

FWIW, if I am in London, then I tend to claim lunch because it is a LOT more expensive going to Pret etc. than me making lunch and taking it in, or even going to a northern sarnie shop.

[xoggoth]

As brightspark said. Stat rate that will not be queried is now £3 pw. Anything above and you may have to justify.