Expensing/Tax Relief on Computer Equipment - Umbrella Employee

[ensignia]

Some sensible replies in here.

Never understood the mindset of a petty few on here who have a tantrum when asked to provide their own equipment citing some kind of financial hardship or unfairness

We're mostly well recompensed individuals who solely work as IT contractors who then suddenly don't have access to the right computer when asked to provide their own equipment usually to try and prove some pathetic point

I'm absolutely fuming whenever a client sends over a laptop and forces you to use that. Luckily the software I use and Teams/Outlook is accessible on my personal device so I have no need to use Client 1's laptop, although client 2 are far more stringent and I'm stuck using their awful Windows machine. But at least I didn't have to shell out for my own device and saved a few quid eh? Because that's the more important thing and a little moral victory for us hard done by contractors.

[eek]

The other side of the coin is that a lot of mechanics spend £,000s on their own tool kit because nothing is provided for them at the garage who employs them..

Being asked to provide a cheap computer to access something remote isn't that big a deal and has (in industries like the one above) been the case for decades.

[malvolio]

Actually it's not fair at all - just another of the terrible aspects of working inside IR35 - or as I prefer to call it, as a no-rights employee.

You can look at it two ways. I prefer the one that goes if you are a contractor it's not unreasonable to assume that you would have the basic tools of the job, which includes a PC of some kind. The fact you've been shoehorned into a pseudo employee role for taxation does not remove that basic obligation, nor does it mean you are due any of the rights and benefits of being an employee.

the client in this case has provided the wherewithal to access his systems, it's up to you how you get to that access point. And who, especially in our trade, does not have some basic internet access? It also now seems the OP has been using a work PC as his own for the last 6 years, which to my mind is not an excuse for not having your own.

Yes the taxation is utterly unfair and has been for 20 years. It does not get away from the fact that your "employment" is as an independent contractor providing services.

[Peoplesoft bloke]

Actually it's not fair at all - just another of the terrible aspects of working inside IR35 - or as I prefer to call it, as a no-rights employee.

[Jambrella]

Yeah that’s fair.

I was provided one in my last job so there was no reason to have my own for the last 6 years. Thanks for the help everyone

[malvolio]

The OP says Laptop - suppose you've got to be in the office 1 day and week and all you've got at home is a good gaming desktop.

A laptop good enough if all you want to do is connect to a remote server is no more than £300. If not having one stops you earning, it's hardly a life-changing question...

And if you could claim it somehow, it would save you all of £60.

[eek]

You don't have a PC/laptop/desktop of some kind at all?

The OP says Laptop - suppose you've got to be in the office 1 day and week and all you've got at home is a good gaming desktop.

[ensignia]

The job that I am undertaking requires computer equipment (laptop) but I do not have one personally and currently just borrowing one.

You don't have a PC/laptop/desktop of some kind at all?

[eek]

Oh sorry didn’t see that other post!

I work through Paystr*am for a big finance company. The finance company won’t give me a laptop because I’m not their employee and PS said ‘For PS to claim this has a business expense with HMRC we would need to be keeping the computer at the end of the contract which we would not be doing.’

by the looks of reading the other post it seems I’ve just got to suck it up and there’s no way round it.

Yep only way round it is to find an umbrella firm willing to use part of your assignment fee to buy you a laptop - and there is no reason to do that at the moment as unless they can safely assume you will be with them 3 years it just doesn't work out.

[Jambrella]

Oh sorry didn’t see that other post!

I work through Paystr*am for a big finance company. The finance company won’t give me a laptop because I’m not their employee and PS said ‘For PS to claim this has a business expense with HMRC we would need to be keeping the computer at the end of the contract which we would not be doing.’

by the looks of reading the other post it seems I’ve just got to suck it up and there’s no way round it.

[eek]

Just seems odd we've had two in a few days but we've been locked down for long enough and the IR35 changes has been awhile. Never popped up before. Could be a worrying trend.

I would have taken a stab at same client but this guy wants a powerful one so guess not.

It’s that time of year when people are moving contracts.

A while back an umbrella firm did offer a scheme to buy laptops and similar items but it only really works if you are with an umbrella for a long period of time (for depreciation reasons) and I can’t remember if they stopped doing it or still offer it (yes I did do a search which is why I’m unsure whether they stopped it or not).

however, that umbrella is very hard to contact at the moment so I won’t get a quick answer.

[northernladuk]

Quite common if you are working from home and all that is required is to remote on to a desktop.

why provide a machine when it doesn’t need to be powerful and most IT people will have one (or more).

but as we discovered in the thread below it’s going to be virtually impossible to claim for one.

Just seems odd we've had two in a few days but we've been locked down for long enough and the IR35 changes has been awhile. Never popped up before. Could be a worrying trend.

I would have taken a stab at same client but this guy wants a powerful one so guess not.

[eek]

There is a post right below yours about (possibly) claiming one through your SA.
https://forums.contractoruk.com/acco...-contract.html

Is it your clients policy not to give contractors one or something? Highly coincidental we have two questions on laptops for inside gigs in the space of a day when we've not had a post about a client not giving laptops to inside people for.. like ever. Same client or just unlucky?

Quite common if you are working from home and all that is required is to remote on to a desktop.

why provide a machine when it doesn’t need to be powerful and most IT people will have one (or more).

but as we discovered in the thread below it’s going to be virtually impossible to claim for one.

[northernladuk]

There is a post right below yours about (possibly) claiming one through your SA.
https://forums.contractoruk.com/acco...-contract.html

Is it your clients policy not to give contractors one or something? Highly coincidental we have two questions on laptops for inside gigs in the space of a day when we've not had a post about a client not giving laptops to inside people for.. like ever. Same client or just unlucky?

[Jambrella]

Hi, new to the forum and the contracting/umbrella world so apologies if this is the wrong section.

I have recently become an employee for an umbrella company. The job that I am undertaking requires computer equipment (laptop) but I do not have one personally and currently just borrowing one. Is there a way to expense a laptop or get some sort of tax reclaim/rebate? I do need a relatively powerful one but they are quite expensive.

If there is a way to get some sort of money off/reclaim how would I do that?

thanks!