Childminder expenses - clarification

[sarah707]

There has been some confusion on our Independent Childminders Facebook group recently about what expenses childminders can and cannot claim - I have written this blog to help clarify.

I hope you find it useful

Childminder expenses - Independent Childminders

[Simona]

Thank you for raising this issue Sarah...very important.
There is indeed confusion but it is not possible to verify what cms are saying on FB because some are not part of that page.

many cms now employ accountants to submit their Tax return and work out the related expenses/tax etc etc.
Those accountant are qualified, accountable to HMRC and act on cms' behalf.

If any cm wishes to employ an accountant they should make sure the accountant is qualified to deal with home based businesses and cms in particular and follows the HMRC directives...which may change each year with the Budget.
What cms cannot say is that accountants do things differently...I don't think that is correct.

For many cms coming into Education and Childcare their main aim is to become familiar with that area...then they find themselves dealing with personal financial matters as well and having to work out expenses and related issues without proper training....or very quick sessions that cover just the basics may not be enough.

There are many consultants/trainers now delivering specific cms' training on how to run our businesses...I have spoken to a few recently and also attended a training recently which was very accessible and delivered by a well known company...not expensive either.
Worth investing some money in that.