What expenses can I claim as a contractor?

Hillier Hopkins LLP

Chartered Accountants & Tax Advisers

Call +44 (0)330 024 3200 and discover how we can help you.

Knowing what constitutes a legitimate business expense can be key to minimising your tax liabilities with very little effort. However, exactly what can and cannot be claimed as a limited company contractor isn’t always clear-cut, which is where our specialist accounting services for contractors come into play.​

What expenses can I claim against my limited company?

Fortunately, the contractor accountants at Hillier Hopkins are on hand to ensure you never miss a trick. Keeping abreast of the latest rulings and legislative changes, whilst taking time to understand your business, we work with you to make sure that anything that can be claimed as a legitimate expense, will be.

Here are a few examples of typical expenses that we may be able to help you claim against your limited company to increase your tax savings:

• Your gross salary
• Pension scheme contributions
• Accountancy fees
• Travel and subsistence
• Business insurances
• Office and work equipment.

What impacts my eligibility for expenses?

Every contractor has their own explanation for certain expenses that they incur due to the specific nature of their business.

If the purchase is used outside of work, it is an entirely different matter. Strictly speaking, expenses are to be used ‘exclusively in the performance of duties’, although, if a purchase is made for both professional and personal use, we may be able to help you claim a portion of the cost.

There is also tax legislation to consider here, which our contractor tax experts can help you navigate. For example, to claim travel and subsistence expenses, you need to prove that you aren’t subject to ‘supervision, direction or control’.

How to claim expenses with Hillier Hopkins

How you record and manage expenses will depend on how you engage our services. Users of our cloud accountancy solution will find recording an expense as simple as uploading a photo of the receipt to our online platform. Alternatively, we provide clients with several templates to help simplify administration, including an expenses form.

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