Reply to: K & B

it is

partimer......is the £2 use of Home as office by IR without receipts correct or not?

Sorry men0bcs.
It didn't come out right now that I've re-read it.
I wasn't having a go at you.
I was just surprised that there's still half a dozen threads dedicated to the "expenses" issue and expressing my thoughts on the fact that these threads are still going. (check the archives and you'll see mud slinging, etc.)

I've got no axe to grind with anybody.
Guess I should drop more smiley faces in my posts.

All right, you can stop taking the p1ss now!

I talked to them and they said I was 'entitled' to these allowances, and as I am a first timer I didn't know if this was a standard thing or not. If I thought they were right I wouldn't be on here questioning them!

Talk about flogging a dead horse.

Check the archives to see what an accountant and a brolly company has said re: expenses.
If you still think you don't need receipts and they don't have to be business related then follow my next suggestion tomorrow.

Take the slow train into London (the one that stops at every station instead of the intercity). After work, spend two hours in a pub spending your 9 pound allowance on beer. Then stop off for a 20 quid lap dance before heading home on the slow train (to make sure you've being away for > 10 hours).

If you are still convinced that you don't need receipts and the expenses can be non business related, invite your friendly local tax inspector out since as a contractor you are entitled to a beer and lapdance allowance.

LOL. Get real. It doesn't matter if you're Ltd or with a brolly.
Expenses are normally financially neutral. You spend money and get it reimbursed. Why should you get reimbursed for money you did not spend ? The IR are really going to take your word that you spend the full amount every day ...

In most cases, where the umbrella has "a dispensation with the IR", it means that the IR will allow the umbrella to reimburse the expenses to the contractor without seeing the receipts.

It does not mean that the contractor doesn't have to incur the expense - they still have to and keep the receipts but they don't have to submit the receipts to the umbrella people.

The IR reserves its right to question any expense, and if they do, the contractor will have to show the receipts, not to the umbrella people but to the IR.

I have no idea about Umbrella, but on the Ltd Company side there are expenses that can be claimed without receipts.

Like the £2 a week for Use of Home and £5 for unsocialable hours. Im sure that these are IR approved and you dont have to claim receipts.

is this correct? and if so, are you sure the same doesn't apply in some way to Umbrella?

I look forward to receiving your application soon

quote I took from the Giantgroup website

Never ever take tax advice from Giant.

Take a look at the relevant IR guide (490 I think) and see that you have to actually incur the expense in order to be able to claim it back (as Debbie explained).

apologies to all.

im not a accountant, tax advisor etc...

i have given instances where me and friends have experienced problems during our dealings with accountants.

Where someone has asked for accountant reccomendations, I have said K&B, becuase they have not let me down. Just because some on the forum have had problems with K&B...thats not my problem.

All companies will have some who like the service and some who dont.

Can you honestly say that the firm you represent has never had nay complaints? If you can then give me your details, as I would like to transfer my accounts to you :-)

Okay, at first I did overdo the referral bit, but seeing as its pis@ed everyone off....i will stop.

The problem is that CUK do not like blatant advertising from people who don't pay them commission for advertising, which is understandable as it effectively bites the hand that feeds them.

We have a continual presence on the forum, along with a number of other accountants, tax advisers, lawyers, etc and earn a little bit of exposure by answering questions on tax, expenses, IR35, etc, and ensuring that the products we market are top quality.

I know very little about K & B accountancy but it appears you have been blatantly advertising a service that does not currently have a very good reputation with contractors on this forum. You also don't seem to have offered anything in terms of impartial advice on accountancy or other issues.

the quote about the ''we've'' bit was a quote I took from the Giantgroup website, about what they say about the subsistence claims.

I do not work for K&B.

People on this site are so defensive if anyone promotes a servcie that they are happy about.

Its okay to have a go....but not defend!

basically if you dont praise the sponsers (you know who you are) then bog off!!

Have a great holiday ... where are you going

Hubby left today for two weeks in Baja, Mexico (living out of the back of a truck ... not my idea of fun).

Marketing ..... now I know I'm full of bull sh!t, but not that much. And I'll always be a developer at heart .....

Off on holiday tomorrow so doing last minute stuff and posting imbetween.

Good luck with any new venture you come up with.

Have you considered marketing - AtW might need some advice and he won't accept mine

yeah, getting bored with permie

Got a few ideas and a couple of interested investors

Won't be online accounting though, that's old hat now.

What are you doing hanging around and posting on a Friday evening, thought you would be out and about ....