Reply to: Whats wrong with a supermarket bill?

[Billy Pilgrim]

I think the way Hector views it is that an expense must represent an additional cost to you that has been incurred wholly and exclusively for business purposes. If you are staying in a B&B and food is not allowed in your room, the cost of a dinner in the local pub is a reasonable and additional cost. However, if you are in rented accomodation what you spend on food is likely to be no more than you spend when you are at home.

I would argue that you spend substantially more on food when away from home though.

Particularly since you are buying for one person

[LisaContractorUmbrella]

I think the way Hector views it is that an expense must represent an additional cost to you that has been incurred wholly and exclusively for business purposes. If you are staying in a B&B and food is not allowed in your room, the cost of a dinner in the local pub is a reasonable and additional cost. However, if you are in rented accomodation what you spend on food is likely to be no more than you spend when you are at home.

[expat]

The point is that while I'm away on business, I can claim for an evening meal, whether that's £30 in a nice resturant, £5 for a kebab or £7 for a bag of salad, tin of tuna, bottle of water and some fruit from the supermarket, is there really any difference as far as Hector's concerned?

Why don't you ask Hector?

[Billy Pilgrim]

My company expense policy is the same as that of previous consultancies I have worked for where I have claimed evening meal (pub food / posh restaurant / tescos sarnie and a can of coke), the odd breakfast if up with the larks and the very occasional lunch (when I have paid using the wrong card ;-) )

Don't see why things should work any differently now

[NotAllThere]

Last year I spent 3 months at a gig where I stayed in a static caravan nearby from Monday night to Friday morning.

It was out of season so much cheaper than hotels (and five times the space and ten times the convenience).

Mr Accountant said I couldn't claim anything except the caravan cost. No food. He wasn't even convinced about the caravan.

So this year for this gig I stayed in hotels and claimed the lot. It cost more but saved me from the fury at feeling I was being ripped off by the tax man.

Mind you, since then I've ditched that accountant...

When away from home, and the family wanted to visit, I rented a holiday apartment for the week. Tax man didn't even blink - it was cheaper than the hotel I normally stayed in. Of course, he could have got all arsey about BIK, but again, the sum involved was minimal.

[NotAllThere]

The point is that while I'm away on business, I can claim for an evening meal, whether that's £30 in a nice resturant, £5 for a kebab or £7 for a bag of salad, tin of tuna, bottle of water and some fruit from the supermarket, is there really any difference as far as Hector's concerned?

To my mind, no. Especially given the sums involved. And if you were a permie working away on business, I doubt your employer would have an issue either.

£30 semi-decent bottle of whisky

[Waldorf]

t is not upto your accountant what you claim for, they can give you their opinion but at the end of the day, it is your choice - you sign the tax return!

[RichardCranium]

Last year I spent 3 months at a gig where I stayed in a static caravan nearby from Monday night to Friday morning.

It was out of season so much cheaper than hotels (and five times the space and ten times the convenience).

Mr Accountant said I couldn't claim anything except the caravan cost. No food. He wasn't even convinced about the caravan.

So this year for this gig I stayed in hotels and claimed the lot. It cost more but saved me from the fury at feeling I was being ripped off by the tax man.

Mind you, since then I've ditched that accountant...

[Hiram King Of Tyre]

The point is that while I'm away on business, I can claim for an evening meal, whether that's £30 in a nice resturant, £5 for a kebab or £7 for a bag of salad, tin of tuna, bottle of water and some fruit from the supermarket, is there really any difference as far as Hector's concerned?

[Billy Pilgrim]

The point is that if you have to eat out because you are working away from home your increased cost is allowable against tax. Buying the same food from the supermarket as you would at home incurs no extra cost.

The point may also be that it costs more to buy food for one when away from home than it does when at home due to economies of scale buying for 2/3/4/5 people and all that.....

Unless you want to eat the remnants of last nights dinner every other night then it costs a fair amount extra to feed yourself when away!!

[NotAllThere]

The point is that if you have to eat out because you are working away from home your increased cost is allowable against tax. Buying the same food from the supermarket as you would at home incurs no extra cost.

So spending £3 and gaining a tax benefit of 50p, instead of spending £30 and gaining a tax benefit of £5, suddenly you're a tax dodger.

[Archangel]

If you were living at home and having a meal at a pub, then you couldn't claim that either.

So what's your point?

The point is that if you have to eat out because you are working away from home your increased cost is allowable against tax. Buying the same food from the supermarket as you would at home incurs no extra cost.

[NotAllThere]

If you were living at home and having a meal at a pub, then you couldn't claim that either.

So what's your point?

[Archangel]

I use a motorhome as both a local office and overnight accomodation near to my client. My accountant advises having an evening meal in a pub or resturant though and claim it on expenses. It would normally suit be better though if I just went to the supermarket and prepared my own dinner, this way I can much better control my diet. The accountant advises against it though saying that it may be difficult to establish that I'm the only beneficiary. Is that really an issue if I keep receipts and generally spend less than £10?

If you were living at home and buying food from the supermarket you couldn't claim for it, so why claim whilst in your caravan?

Sounds like tax dodging to me.

[lambrini_socialist]

my suggestion: each day that you work way from home and eat food from the supermarket, wrap your resulting bowel movement in a copy of the day's newspaper (for date validation) and send it to HMRC along with the supermarket receipt so they can do a full dietary analysis of your leavings and confirm that you ate what you said you ate while away on company business.