Nichola Ross Martin's Tax Consultancy

What expenses can I claim for tax purposes?

An expense or part of an expense (when you can identify a suitable proportion) can be claimed as a deduction from taxable income for tax when it is incurred for the purposes of your business. 

Specific rules in statute and almost 100 years of tax case law have made this topic complicated.

In this section we cover what you can and can't claim, and provides worked examples, FAQs, planning points and tips.

These practical tax guides are will genuninely to save you thousands of pounds in research time.

If you do not want to subscribe to the Practical Tax Database, you can always ask to buy the set or each guide singly. These guides are for sole traders and partners. Click here for guides for employers/employees.

• Motor expenses: two different ways of claiming your costs.
• Travel: the devil is in the detail, are those journeys really all for business, or are you just commuting?
• Subsistence: should carry a government health warning. Is your trade itinerant in nature, what does that really mean these days?
• Working from home: how much, why and when?
• Training costs and course fees: what is being achieved when you train yourself to do something? That may colour what you can claim.
• Repairs and maintenance: newly acquired assets, dilapidations, renewal or capital improvement?
• Employing the spouse and family: when wages and benefits are disallowed for tax.
• Living expenses: these are generally personal by nature so no claim is possible.
• Entertaining and gifts: any chance of tax relief, well...

Checklists
A quick run through the accounts for tax? Try our:
Accounts: tax health check (self-employed)

More checklists under Self-employed > Tax planning & compliance.

Any queries? If you are stuck on what you can and can't claim for any expense not listed here let us know. We will create you a new custom guide.