Mileage Claim

**Sarah41** · 17-08-2010, 07:36 AM

I'm a bit confused, am keeping my books fairly up to date and have until now just put in my diesel receipts (about £90 a month), as practically all my driving is childminding as I use my husbands car for other journeys. But is it better to put down each journey? Also how do you put each journey down as the NCMA expenses sheet isn't big enough? Would you put a monthly total of mileage down and then on a separate piece of paper write down each outing? I pick up my children every day and also school runs, cm groups, outings, etc.. HELP!
Sarah

**Chatterbox Childcare** · 17-08-2010, 07:47 AM

You can claim your mileage in 2 different ways - by .40p a mile or capital depreciation. As your childminding percentage will be high you may be better off claiming the depreciation.

Either way you need to keep a log of where you have been. I put in my diary hme-school-hme-soft play-jme-nursery-hme. Each day I add these up and put it into a spreadsheet that totals it all (12 months in all) and at the end of the year I can see the miles that I have done.

For .40p a mile you can add the total into your last monthly sheet.

For depreciation you can see the business percentage and allocate it to all of your purchases. Your car needs to be worth a bit to do this or your write off costs will be small.

if you need any more information on this call out

aly · 17-08-2010, 07:59 AM

in the ncma book i put the monthly/weekly amount and i have a separate mileage log that I keep with it and thats monthly.

**louised** · 17-08-2010, 09:11 AM

I put my weekly mileage down in the accounts book each week, so if I do 6 miles then 6 x 40p = £2.40

**curlycathy** · 17-08-2010, 03:12 PM

I have a little mileage book I keep in the car and note down date, journey eg home-stayandplay-home, mileage and then how much I'm claiming for it at rate of 40p a mile. Each week has a total (£) which is entered into my account book and in the column for receipt number I just put MB(Mileage Book) so its available if mr taxman ever wants to look at it.

**clio0602** · 17-08-2010, 03:23 PM

oops I've been doing it wrong then. I've been doing it daily and added it into my accounts

Doh thought it was a bit of a pain lol

jumpinjen · 17-08-2010, 04:46 PM

My accountant told me that however you begin claiming for petrol then you must continue that method until you change the car. i started claiming mileage, and have to continue.... I jot down rtn (return) to wherever I go, then write the mileage.... I put this on a weekly page in a notebook that i keep for accounts, it is added up by her at the end of the tax year.

If you begin by putting in receipts for diesel then you must continue that way...... she told me that it was fine to estimate amount of usage, 90% 50% 100% if that car is used solely for minding, and then put it through with the receipt attached.

She hasn't been struck off yet by HMRC so i trust her that it's ok to do it that way!! Wish i'd done it receipts way as mileage is a pain!

jen x

**Chatterbox Childcare** · 17-08-2010, 09:29 PM

Originally Posted by jumpinjen

My accountant told me that however you begin claiming for petrol then you must continue that method until you change the car. i started claiming mileage, and have to continue.... I jot down rtn (return) to wherever I go, then write the mileage.... I put this on a weekly page in a notebook that i keep for accounts, it is added up by her at the end of the tax year.

If you begin by putting in receipts for diesel then you must continue that way...... she told me that it was fine to estimate amount of usage, 90% 50% 100% if that car is used solely for minding, and then put it through with the receipt attached.

She hasn't been struck off yet by HMRC so i trust her that it's ok to do it that way!! Wish i'd done it receipts way as mileage is a pain!

jen x

Is this person an accountant? You must have proof of your mileage, business and percentage and if not you could be subject to having the whole total removed and disallowed - big tax bill.

If you are told you can guess, how do you do it?

jumpinjen · 18-08-2010, 07:10 AM

Originally Posted by DebbieS26

Is this person an accountant? You must have proof of your mileage, business and percentage and if not you could be subject to having the whole total removed and disallowed - big tax bill.

If you are told you can guess, how do you do it?

Yes Debbie..... this person IS an accountant.... estimation is not 'guessing'.... it is making an approximation of usage.

And if you want to be really cynical then simply having written down in a notebook words representing where you are supposed to have driven is not actually PROOF of anything..... you may have made it all up.

As i stated in my post.... I detail my mileage in my accounts book so it is all there.

Some people DO have a car that is primarily for minding use, so putting through receipts is acceptable.

Jenni

**Ripeberry** · 18-08-2010, 07:40 AM

Most of my driving is for my own children (to and from school), any other mileage with the mindee is for short trips of 3 miles or less so to be honest I've not put down any mileage costs through my books as they are trips I do for myself and not JUST for mindees.

The only one that I could claim for is a CM group which is a 12 mile round trip, so I suppose I could write that one in with no mileage proof?

It would be quite a lot £4.80 each trip, so in a month £19.20

**Chatterbox Childcare** · 18-08-2010, 11:56 AM

Originally Posted by jumpinjen

Yes Debbie..... this person IS an accountant.... estimation is not 'guessing'.... it is making an approximation of usage.

And if you want to be really cynical then simply having written down in a notebook words representing where you are supposed to have driven is not actually PROOF of anything..... you may have made it all up.

As i stated in my post.... I detail my mileage in my accounts book so it is all there.

Some people DO have a car that is primarily for minding use, so putting through receipts is acceptable.

Jenni

Goodness writing things down instead of talking face to face is a problem sometimes as I wasn't having a go. I just have never heard of estimating and I have an appointment with the IR again next month so will ask the question again as last time I was told that I had to have mileage records.

I don't do mileage but I was told I still have to keep a log, which can be checked so mine is accurate. My IR inspector told me that if I was checked they would take a few samples from my sheet and do the route. Not much fun so hope I am not checked.

**snufflepuff** · 18-08-2010, 02:49 PM

We got a new car recently. So i am keeping all receipts for fuel etc and writing down all my milage in a notebook. At the end of the year i will work out what percentage of the miles we're for minding and what percentage i can claim. I will also work out the 40p per mile and then see which one is more.

**Chatterbox Childcare** · 18-08-2010, 10:28 PM

Originally Posted by snufflepuff

We got a new car recently. So i am keeping all receipts for fuel etc and writing down all my milage in a notebook. At the end of the year i will work out what percentage of the miles we're for minding and what percentage i can claim. I will also work out the 40p per mile and then see which one is more.

That is what I did when I started - it makes very interesting reading at the end of the year