Mobile phone expenses...

[lucyD]

I just have a cheap pay as you go phone which is fine..but I now may need to use it more for work texting parents & sending pics etc which can be quite costly on PAYG. Is there anyway of putting this down on expenses or do you need a contract so you can prove how may calls/txts etc are being used on 'work'

Many thanks

[LittleLadybirds]

Why don't you get a separate PAYG phone for work? I got mine for 1p as it was on offer from one of the mobile websites (onestopphoneshop) and they do this offer quite regularly, as it's the clearance phone - fine for keeping in touch with parents!

I just use that, and as it's on Vodafone I get some free texts when I top-up by £10 whenever I need to. And then it's easy to put your receipts through, as you have a personal phone for your other calls. Makes life very easy!

Otherwise as far as I am aware you will need to have an itemised bill (which you normally can't get on PAYG) to put through your expenses. I did check this with my accountant before I decided to get the PAYG phone as I was thinking of just using my personal one.

[CH1957]

I do the same as LLB, I have a PAYG and put £10 per month on it and put the receipts through my accounts.

[lucyD]

Thanks will do that then. Can you put the new handset down as expenses too then? As I want a fairly decent one with a camera as want to send pics to one particular set of parents

[rickysmiths]

I have one PAYG phone, too complicated to carry 2 phones and remember 2 numbers lol!

I just put a % of my top ups through.

[blue bear]

I have a monthly £10 contract, added to that I have friends and family, I claim for the £10 month as I use that purely for business and all my personal calls are included in friends and family package so don't claim that bit. I use house phone for other calls.

[LittleLadybirds]

Thanks will do that then. Can you put the new handset down as expenses too then? As I want a fairly decent one with a camera as want to send pics to one particular set of parents

If you are purely going to use that phone for your childminding, then I would have thought so.

Just be aware of the safeguarding issues surrounding mobile phone camera use, and make sure its included in your policy how you use it, and how you protect the pictures, etc... Out LA advised NOT to use mobile phone to take pics at all due to all the issues surrounding it, especially due to Little Ted's scandal.