In the event you’re self-employed, allowable bills can cut back your Self Evaluation tax invoice.
On this article, we discuss how your enterprise can declare again cash.
Right here’s what we cowl:
Earnings tax reduction: How one can cut back your tax by claiming on enterprise bills
As a sole dealer or freelancer, it’s essential to know your fundamental allowable bills—even when you’re paying an accountant to assist along with your tax return.
You’ll be able to declare tax again on among the prices of operating your enterprise—what HMRC calls allowable bills. These seem as prices in your enterprise accounts deducted from the revenue you pay tax on.
Bills can cut back the typical sole dealer’s tax invoice—usually considerably.
For instance, in case your turnover is £80,000 and also you declare £20,000 in allowable bills, you solely pay tax on the remaining £60,000—a considerable saving.
It’s also possible to use simplified bills.
These flat charges mean you can rapidly calculate tax reduction on automobiles, working from dwelling and residing on your enterprise premises. It may make working your bills considerably simpler.
On the Gov.uk web site, yow will discover the most typical bills you possibly can claim for self-employed and the most typical bills you possibly can claim for if you rent out a property.
Self-employed allowable bills checklist
Beneath we cowl among the issues you possibly can declare for. To reiterate, we assume you’re utilizing money foundation accounting, as the principles for conventional accounting might be barely totally different.
You’ll be able to add these figures to your self-assessment tax return.
Workplace tools and instruments
You’ll be able to declare bills for enterprise tools similar to laptops, PCs, printers, and laptop software program that your enterprise has used for lower than two years.
You’ll be able to’t declare tax again on small instruments.
Stationery and communications
In addition to the standard paper, envelopes and pens, it’s also possible to declare again tax on postage and printing, together with the prices of printer ink and cartridges that you just use as a part of your enterprise.
With extra companies now buying and selling on-line, this allowance additionally applies to digital communications – so you possibly can declare tax again on your enterprise cellphone, cell and web payments.
Telephone and web
In the event you use your cellphone, cell and web for private and enterprise use, you’ll have to exhibit a practical manner of dividing the prices and might solely declare tax again on the half for enterprise use.
In the event you can’t present this, you possibly can’t declare any tax again.
Skilled and monetary providers
In the event you get advice from an accountant, lawyer or different skilled as a part of your enterprise, you possibly can declare tax again on their charges.
It’s also possible to declare allowable bills for hiring surveyors and designers for your enterprise, simply not for private dwelling enhancements.
If in case you have a enterprise checking account, you possibly can declare tax reduction on financial institution, overdraft and bank card costs or curiosity on enterprise loans.
It’s also possible to declare tax again on rent buy, lease, or different monetary funds for tools you utilize in your enterprise.
Pension contributions
Contributions to your pension should not a enterprise expense, so that they don’t have an effect on your self-employed income. Nevertheless, you’re eligible for tax reduction on any contributions you make, which your pension supplier will mechanically declare.
Employees and worker prices
You’ll be able to declare tax reduction on worker and employees salaries, bonuses, pensions, advantages, employees and worker prices, company charges, subcontractors, and employer’s National Insurance contributions.
Journey prices
There’s a bunch of allowable bills you possibly can declare for when you should journey for enterprise, together with practice, bus, taxi, airfares, and lodging prices.
However these solely apply if the first purpose on your journey or keep was for enterprise.
In the event you make a journey that mixes enterprise and pleasure, you possibly can solely declare tax reduction on prices which you can present are separate from the non-public a part of your journey.
In the event you can’t break up up the prices, you possibly can’t declare tax reduction on any half.
Automobile and car prices
In the event you use a car as a part of your enterprise, you possibly can declare tax reduction for bills similar to petrol, insurance coverage, and repairs.
Mileage allowance
As a self-employed individual, you possibly can add up all of your motor bills for the yr and work out the separate enterprise aspect of the entire price.
Nevertheless, preserving monitor and dealing this out takes effort and time.
As an alternative, you can claim mileage allowance, a simplified expense that permits you to calculate the prices for operating your car.
Different vehicle-related areas you possibly can declare bills on embrace:
- Parking
- Breakdown cowl
- Rent costs.
Once more, tax reduction solely applies to those if they’re enterprise moderately than non-public bills.
You’ll be able to’t declare tax again on parking or different fines incurred whereas driving. There’s no tax reduction for breaking the legislation.
Meals and clothes
All people wants meals and clothes however claiming for them on bills is dependent upon what you’re utilizing them for.
Clothes
Usually, you possibly can’t declare for clothes if it’s one thing you’d put on as a part of an on a regular basis wardrobe. So, even when you’ve purchased a swimsuit for work, you possibly can’t declare for its price.
However, when you should purchase a uniform that identifies what you do or wants particular protecting clothes to do your job, you possibly can declare for that.
You’ll be able to’t declare for non-uniform gadgets similar to sneakers and socks.
In the event you’re an entertainer, and the garments you’re shopping for are a fancy dress for a stage, TV or movie efficiency, then you possibly can declare tax reduction on these.
Clowns, magicians, acrobats and Elvis impersonators – we guess HMRC enjoys studying your clothes claims!
Laundry
In the event you put on a uniform or particular protecting clothes, you possibly can declare bills when you wash, restore, or change it.
Meals
You’ll be able to solely declare a refund on food and drinks if it’s a enterprise expense, that means it should be outdoors your regular working routine, similar to a enterprise journey.
Inventory and supplies
You’ll be able to declare tax again on:
- Objects that you just resell, e.g. inventory
- Uncooked supplies that you just use to make items on the market
- Direct prices from producing items.
Advertising and promoting
You’ll be able to declare tax again on the prices of promoting and advertising and marketing your enterprise, together with prices for internet hosting and sustaining your organization web site.
However beware, you might assume that treating a buyer or provider to lunch is ‘advertising and marketing’, however HMRC considers it as ‘entertaining’, which you’ll’t declare tax again for.
In the event you’re a member of an expert commerce physique or organisation as a part of your enterprise, you possibly can declare tax reduction in your membership charges. Subscriptions to commerce or skilled journals are additionally allowable bills, so declare for these too.
Learn extra about Self Evaluation
What bills can I declare when working from dwelling?
As a sole dealer, you might run your companies from dwelling.
On this case, you possibly can solely declare tax again on the proportion of these bills that relate to the area you utilize for your enterprise, together with heating, electrical energy, council tax and mortgage curiosity.
You’ll have to discover a lifelike manner of dividing the prices.
You might divide your payments in keeping with the variety of rooms you utilize for your enterprise or the time you spend working from dwelling.
How can I track my allowable expenses?
You should track your business expenses throughout the year and keep organised records. If you are unincorporated or a sole trader, you should maintain data for 5 years after 31 January of the related tax yr.
Ideally, you’d use accounting software, which saves time and is extra correct than utilizing spreadsheets.
It ought to allow you to import bills and receipts—if in case you have paper receipts, you possibly can usually snap and seize them digitally.
How do I declare my self-employed enterprise bills?
You’re employed out what you possibly can declare again and add the main points to your tax return.
In the event you’ve saved your bills organised (including them to accounting software will enable you to obtain this), that can make this course of simpler.
And finally, it might be a matter of giving a single determine on your allowable bills or offering an in depth breakdown in your tax return.
Both manner, you need to precisely work out your bills in case HMRC comes again with questions.
Closing ideas on allowable bills
Understanding allowable bills could make all of the distinction to your money stream.
If you already know what you possibly can and might’t declare again, it makes issues a lot simpler come tax return time.
Whereas we’ve coated some key bills you possibly can declare again, getting help from an accountant or tax adviser could make all of the distinction right here.
Give your self loads of time to get your head round your allowable bills, converse to the consultants if you have to, and make sure you don’t need to pay extra tax than is required.
Editor’s observe: This text was first printed in December 2019 and has been up to date for relevance.
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