An all round general question..which Im sure wont be straight forward!!!

[Newbie1!]

Good afternoon all, I have today decided to go and visit an accountant as i am totally overwhelmed with the EYFS paperwork, and my coursework and my voluntary job at school so cannot cope with my accounts too!!

Anyway - he basically reemed off lots of things that I could claim against - things like inks, paper etc etc.

What I wondered is......is there anywhere I can access a basic list which tells you what sort of things you can claim against and what the percentage is so that I can calculate the bills etc.....and one main question....he said it would be a good idea to charge per meal per head for the little ones that I feed.....do any of you do this and if so what do you charge per meal per head please?? Again - if there is a standard guidance can you point me in the right direction please?? :panic: :panic:

Thanking you much in advance - I couldnt cope without you lot!!! xxxx

[mama2three]

i put a set amount per child through for meals - I worked out over a week how much I was spending on meals , kept the workings and receipts in case I am asked to justify the costings , then use the averages . I guess it depends on what kind of things you serve and how many meals / snacks / treats a day they have but my costs are about £5 per full time child per day.
Im sure there is a document in free downloads which outlines the percentages etc we can claim too.

[jumping j]

I'm sure I read somewhere on here that the 'average' cost is around 50p per snack/breakfast £1.00 for cold lunch and £1.50 per hot meal, I may be wrong but this is what I've been working from. It means that if you have a child all day it's between £4.00 and £4.50 for all meals and 2 snacks.

[Newbie1!]

Thank you guys :) :) thanks Kath - I found the doc on the downloads bit.

What I could just do with a list with everything on!!!

He mentioned ink, uniform, car tax etc and I hadnt thought about any of it, then he said such as baby wipes and so on - things that I just do/buy without thinking about it. he told me to write everything down but how can I if I dont think about them....iyswim!!!

My heads far too scrambled to do accounts....think I might do it all free and then I dont need to worry :laughing: :laughing: :laughing:

[rosebud]

Once you get into a routine its not so bad. Just keep every receipt you get when you're shopping and put them all in a shoe box. Every so often go through the receipts and highlight anything you've bought for childminding. It all adds up so make sure you're claiming everything so that you can ensure you pay minimal tax.

For food I put £1 for breakfast, £2.50 for lunch and tea and a £1 for babies. This might sound like a lot but it includes all drinks, snacks and I buy organic so I feel I can justify this if asked to.

Hope that helps.

[Chatterbox Childcare]

Everyone does it differently but if you are going to claim per meal work out how much it costs you and allocate that for say 3 months. Prices rose last year so quickly so keep a regular check on it.

[VeggieSausage]

I claim for my Riverford fruit and veg box i get delivered each week, other things you can claim - toilet roll, paper, printer ink, folders, daily diairies, kitchen roll, foil, washing up liquid, dishwasher tabs, washing powder, hand wash, flannels, towels, toys, books, trips, lunch boxes, cups, straws, lunches out, petrol, toddler groups, arts and craft supplies, baking supplies, if you have a cleaner as your so busy, bus fairs, equipment costs, trips that you do at the weekend that you are going to take your minded children to as a pre-visit risk assessment, swimming, car parking, home safety improvements, fire blankets etc, basically absolutely anything you would not have bought or the extra you have bought for childminding......

Food I put through £3 for tea, £2 for lunch, £1.50 breakfast, 50p snacks per day per child.

[jane5]

An accountant that was starting his own firm came and did a home visit to me this week.

He basically had not had a childminder as a client before so did not know every thing I could claim for and as I have had loads of info from here, he actually didnt tell me anything I didnt know :p

Well I asked him what he could do for me and he said I would have to keep writing everything on my accounts pages from my MM pack as I already do, when the tax is due I take it to him and he will add it all up and enter it online for me :rolleyes:

For this he will only charge me a reduced price of £150 + vat because as I am a new small business and there wont be a lot of work for him to do :eek:

I know you can put his fees through as expenses but I would rather spend the £150 + vat on toys and add it up and enter it myself