Messed up with food claims

[BlondeMoment]

Hi everyone
I've been claiming £5 per day per child for food, for the past two years regardless of whether they just stay for lunch or whether they have tea too. I worked it out as an average. I recently put this up to £5.50 due to rising costs etc.
I think I need to look again at this as have come up with £120 claim for one week (I been looking after 5 extra siblings). My shopping bill for that week was only £80! They only stay for lunch. I def need to change it to just cover lunchtimes but does this mean I have to backtrack all my accounts for the last two years?!!??
Panicking now cos I've got in a right muddle
Any help would be appreciated.
Lisa x

[madmamma]

By rights, I think you should do an adjustment in your tax return, however....
I personally would just do last years if I hadn't submitted already, and from april of this year

I have separate costings for breakfast, dinner, and tea, and allocate the relevant costings to each child. I then review my costings every 2 or 3 months. Yes it's a pain, but it keeps me happy ;)

Edit: You said your shopping bill was only £80 but do you do 'top ups' from the local shop, treaty stuff etc? Don't forget to add that on, and you may surprise yourself at just how much you ARE spending :thumbsup:

[mr man]

I charge 50p breakfast, 1.50 cold lunch and 2.50 for hot ome cooked meal. Snacks are 50p.

In my diary each day, I tally mark the time 8.00 with how ever many had breakfast, and 12pm with lunch.....and so on.
Not hard to remember .

The it's all in my diary to transfer to spread sheet which has the formulas to work out and calculate .

All receipts are inside each week, I highlight anything that is cm only, and end of month, do it all and the file them .

Whe I found this my best way, I back tracked using my register, only had a yeAr and a bit to do though. Very time consuming but wroth it. x

[jumpinjen]

Oops! I just claim food costs straight from receipts now - I got in a muddle years ago with meal amounts so I highlight the food I use on the receipts and claim that now - Did they eat other food during the day such as snacks etc to claim also? Did you use frozen food you already had to calculate?

Hope you get it sorted, Jen x

[Chatterbox Childcare]

Oops! I just claim food costs straight from receipts now - I got in a muddle years ago with meal amounts so I highlight the food I use on the receipts and claim that now - Did they eat other food during the day such as snacks etc to claim also? Did you use frozen food you already had to calculate?

Hope you get it sorted, Jen x

Me too - actual costs are much easier and up to date when prices rise

[babs]

i do 50p for breakfast, £1 for lunch and £1.50 for dinnner under 4s over4s £2 50p on all snacks so most work out at £4 aday per child.. £2.50 for schoolers

[~Grasshopper~]

i was thinking about this today,

i dont do tea and lunch is normally a sandwich or soup. i put through £10 a week per child as thats what we were told was about right as per our pre reg course.

its the same as the local school dinner price.

its for cereal, 2 snacks and lunch + fruit and drinks for 5 days ~ maybe im under charging. i need to sit down and work out the actual costs.

x

[Paulab]

I cost it out at £1 for breakfast , £1.50 for lunch (sandwich fruit yoghurt Type of thing) & £2 for dinner (cooked meal)

I did this inline with local schools breakfast club & school meal charges

I couldn't cope with going through every reciept highlighting, I have a teenager that inhales food so we end up shopping a few times a week :eek: x

[babs]

i was thinking about this today,

i dont do tea and lunch is normally a sandwich or soup. i put through £10 a week per child as thats what we were told was about right as per our pre reg course.

its the same as the local school dinner price.

its for cereal, 2 snacks and lunch + fruit and drinks for 5 days ~ maybe im under charging. i need to sit down and work out the actual costs.

x

i spend at least double that just on fruit a week.. then add in bread/wraps and fillings and salad etc.. local school to me charges £2.50 for school lunch and they have to take in 50p a day for snacks which in reception is only milk/water and slice toast some days they get to pick one piece of fruit. so in school works out at £3.00 aday without breakfast and evenng meal.

[hectors house]

I write in my NCMA register L for lunch and T for tea beside each child (when I call the register, I make a game of it and ask each child if they are staying for lunch and tea) - each week for my accounts I add up the number of lunches and teas and write ? x £2 and then add up how many children I have had over week and write ? x £1 for snacks which I feel a bit naughty about as sometimes we have snack at toddlers but I can't be bothered to factor that in as well.

I charge the same for tea as I do lunch, as products like ham and cheese for sandwiches can be more expensive then the mince for a whole bolognese! And it used to be cheaper to make own cakes but not so sure now.

[Kiddleywinks]

I have a teenager that inhales food so we end up shopping a few times a week :eek: x

:ROFL1::ROFL1:
I have one of them :laughing:

[BlondeMoment]

I cost it out at £1 for breakfast , £1.50 for lunch (sandwich fruit yoghurt Type of thing) & £2 for dinner (cooked meal)

I did this inline with local schools breakfast club & school meal charges

I couldn't cope with going through every reciept highlighting, I have a teenager that inhales food so we end up shopping a few times a week :eek: x

:laughing:
That's really funny!

[BlondeMoment]

Thanks everyone. I've looked at what you all do and I've had a bit of a think.
I'm going to back track as far as April this year and charge 2.60 for lunch and 2.60 for dinner.

I agree 'hectors house' that lunch can be just as expensive as tea. I buy little cheese snacks, yoghurts, cheese, ham, marmite etc and they all absolutely love a few Pom Bears scattered with their sandwiches. All adds up. With a fruit snack in the morning and a biscuit snack in the afternoon I think 2.50 should work.

My husband also stuffs his face with just about anything he finds in the fridge and I usually cook for us exactly what I cook for them to keep things easy so I can't really cost individual items from the shopping list.

Thanks everyone for your help x x x

[BlondeMoment]

:ROFL1::ROFL1:
I have one of them :laughing:

I have a husband like it! And my sister whenever she comes round lol

[Babycat]

Oops! I just claim food costs straight from receipts now - I got in a muddle years ago with meal amounts so I highlight the food I use on the receipts and claim that now - Did they eat other food during the day such as snacks etc to claim also? Did you use frozen food you already had to calculate?

Hope you get it sorted, Jen x

I do exactly the same :) Easier for me. :D x

[Twinkle star]

Just reading through threads and i didn't realise you can claim money back for food and other things. I thought that whatever i earn, the food bill water bill etc would all come out of my wages.

Gosh there is so much information to learn. Got my pre reg meeting tonight so hopefully i will be a little clearer on things x

[dette]

Just reading through threads and i didn't realise you can claim money back for food and other things. I thought that whatever i earn, the food bill water bill etc would all come out of my wages.

Gosh there is so much information to learn. Got my pre reg meeting tonight so hopefully i will be a little clearer on things x

You dont "claim it back" ....expenses get taken off the total earned so you dont pay tax on that portion if you earn over your tax free allowance.
It would be lovely if we got it back but we dont ..:(

[Twinkle star]

Ahhh right, so the total you earn in a year, you then keep a log of all the costs for shopping, water, electric etc and take that off, then you find out how much tax you owe on whats left?

[mum24]

I thought that we could not charge for snacks - I am sure I read this somewhere, but cant remember where at the moment.
I charge for other meals and tot it up at the end of the month, pretty much as many others, and I do charge if I buy something special for a treat.
I haven't been charging though for all the fruit we go through in a day, sometimes quite a bit as they eat that mid morning and then when we get in from schol run.
I will have to go back and re do my sums:D

[MrAnchovy]

You can charge (i.e. send parents a bill) for whatever you want*, but that is not what we are talking about here, we are talking about including the cost of snacks in the allowable expenses you deduct from your income to arrive at your profit which you pay tax and class 4 NI on (if it is over the thresholds). This is commonly called 'claiming' but as dette pointed out this is not really the right word either. The cost of snacks, food, nappies, wipes and anything else used up caring for children you are paid to look after are all allowable expenses, although if part of the things you buy is consumed by your own family you cannot claim for that part.

Note that the amount you charge parents for these items, if any, does not have to be the same amount that it costs you, but the amount you include in expenses must be (the correct share of) the cost.



* actually that's not true, for instance you can't charge parents for using your car to take children to and from school unless you and the car are licensed for hire or reward

[Rick]

You can charge (i.e. send parents a bill) for whatever you want*, but that is not what we are talking about here, we are talking about including the cost of snacks in the allowable expenses you deduct from your income to arrive at your profit which you pay tax and class 4 NI on (if it is over the thresholds). This is commonly called 'claiming' but as dette pointed out this is not really the right word either. The cost of snacks, food, nappies, wipes and anything else used up caring for children you are paid to look after are all allowable expenses, although if part of the things you buy is consumed by your own family you cannot claim for that part.

Note that the amount you charge parents for these items, if any, does not have to be the same amount that it costs you, but the amount you include in expenses must be (the correct share of) the cost.


* actually that's not true, for instance you can't charge parents for using your car to take children to and from school unless you and the car are licensed for hire or reward


Having read the entire thread, can I just clarify two things.
1. some people are allowing x amount for lunch, y amount for dinner etc. Is this just what people are charging parents or is this what is going in the accounts? Obviously it's a lot easier making an estimate of the amount to go into your accounts and multiplying by number of children and days, rather than trawling through receipts with a calculator!

2. Do childminders have to keep food receipts as proof?
Thanks

[Chatterbox Childcare]

Having read the entire thread, can I just clarify two things.
1. some people are allowing x amount for lunch, y amount for dinner etc. Is this just what people are charging parents or is this what is going in the accounts? Obviously it's a lot easier making an estimate of the amount to go into your accounts and multiplying by number of children and days, rather than trawling through receipts with a calculator!

2. Do childminders have to keep food receipts as proof?
Thanks

Hope this helps:

1. I believe it is what they are putting in their accounts as expenses. You don't have to trawl the receipt. If you have the same amount of children do it once a month, take off anything that isn't childminder related and use the balance. You will be amazed at how much you can claim.

2. Yes anything over £10 for HMRC and you should be keeping them as the Environmental Health will want to see them if you have food poisoning

[BlondeMoment]

Having read the entire thread, can I just clarify two things.
1. some people are allowing x amount for lunch, y amount for dinner etc. Is this just what people are charging parents or is this what is going in the accounts? Obviously it's a lot easier making an estimate of the amount to go into your accounts and multiplying by number of children and days, rather than trawling through receipts with a calculator!

2. Do childminders have to keep food receipts as proof?
Thanks

This is what I'm putting in my accounts book. I don't charge parents for meals as I like to just do an 'all in' hourly fee.
At the end of each week I enter the amount of meals that have been given out and enter the receipt (I give them a number so I know which one I'm referring to). I'm now entering meals at £2.75 each.

We have to keep all food receipts anyway just in case there is ever a case of food poisoning. I just enter my receipt for the food shop that week but very often we're still munching from the week before's shop so entering one each week is just a way of organizing it so it makes sense.

[Rick]

This is what I'm putting in my accounts book. I don't charge parents for meals as I like to just do an 'all in' hourly fee.
At the end of each week I enter the amount of meals that have been given out and enter the receipt (I give them a number so I know which one I'm referring to). I'm now entering meals at £2.75 each.

We have to keep all food receipts anyway just in case there is ever a case of food poisoning. I just enter my receipt for the food shop that week but very often we're still munching from the week before's shop so entering one each week is just a way of organizing it so it makes sense.

Thanks, I think that would be easier and as you said earlier, it's difficult if you or your family eat some of the food bought for your business!

Where did the amounts come from e.g. £2.75? Can you set it at whatever you want (within reason). If so is it possible for HMRC to come back to you and say it is too high?

What is it you charge again, £2.75 for lunch, £2.75 for tea? And snacks?

Thanks

[Chatterbox Childcare]

Thanks, I think that would be easier and as you said earlier, it's difficult if you or your family eat some of the food bought for your business!

Where did the amounts come from e.g. £2.75? Can you set it at whatever you want (within reason). If so is it possible for HMRC to come back to you and say it is too high?

What is it you charge again, £2.75 for lunch, £2.75 for tea? And snacks?

Thanks

You need to make your own calculations based on your expenses and be able to justify it to the HMRC. For example, you couldn't have food receipts totalling £100 for the week and claim £150.

[MrAnchovy]

Where did the amounts come from e.g. £2.75? Can you set it at whatever you want (within reason). If so is it possible for HMRC to come back to you and say it is too high?

You need to cost out the ingredients for a few sample meals that you provide and take an average. If you are inspected and HMRC think the amount is too high, take them through the costings.

Somebody who claims £5 for tea and has this costed out accurately (Organic chicken breasts 3 for £4.50 = £1.50 each, 2 portions organic vegetables 200g @ £2.50/kg = 50p, 250ml smoothie @ £3.60/l = 90p...) is likely to be be more successful in an inspection than someone who claims £2.75 'because that is what the school charges for lunch'.

Note that the only cost you can include is for ingredients, not your time (because the money you get for your time is earnings you pay tax on) or energy (because you claim this anyway).

[TheBTeam]

I do a set meal price and then check this every three months to the amounts i am spending on food/the number of people eating it, just to check that the two are broadly in line.

I had a great shock today when i realised a little slice of ham was actually 30p, and that was on special price for buying two packs, 10 slices £3!!!!!

[scottishlass]

Hi

I know I am a bit late in seeing this thread but hopefully someone will spot my post!

I am currently looking at what I want to charge etc. I am thinking of charging the parents for meals on top of their hourly rate, does this mean that I then do not/can not claim for food expenses? Is it that you can only do one or another?

Sorry if I am sounding a bit daft! :)

[rickysmiths]

I thought that we could not charge for snacks - I am sure I read this somewhere, but cant remember where at the moment.
I charge for other meals and tot it up at the end of the month, pretty much as many others, and I do charge if I buy something special for a treat.
I haven't been charging though for all the fruit we go through in a day, sometimes quite a bit as they eat that mid morning and then when we get in from schol run.
I will have to go back and re do my sums:D

No you can put down the cost of all food the minded children eat in your expenses.

[rickysmiths]

Hi

I know I am a bit late in seeing this thread but hopefully someone will spot my post!

I am currently looking at what I want to charge etc. I am thinking of charging the parents for meals on top of their hourly rate, does this mean that I then do not/can not claim for food expenses? Is it that you can only do one or another?

Sorry if I am sounding a bit daft! :)

Yes you can put your food costs in your expenses but you have to enter the charge made to the parents for the meals in your income. This is one reason I have always included meals in my fees charge. Also I can't be bothered to work out if a child is off sick or for an un expected day when I have already bought and maybe prepared their food but can I still charge for their meals, I can also see some parents being a pain over it? Much easier to have an all inclusive price.

[Rubybubbles]

I now ask parents to provide all main meals and I provide snacks, I have a cupboard just for childminding and put all fruit, breadsticks, buy different bread than hubby eats (he has white, kiddies have wholemeal) rice cakes ect ect and any extras stuff such as wipes, flour for making play-dough, food colouring (I seem to get through loads with childminding lol!) this has made things much easier, I also do try separate them from my own shop and pay so all on one reciept. extra top ups always get highlighted and popped into my clipboard.

[scottishlass]

thanks for your replies - has given me more to think about and an idea of how others do it:)