Expenses - Mobile Phone

[mindingmummy]

Morning everyone :-)

I just have a question about claiming expenses for my mobile phone. I have a monthly contract which includes everything - all calls, texts, pictures, internet ect so dont have itemisation.

How much can I claim back on my tax return for the line rental if anything?

I have seen somewhere that you have to go through and claim for the individual calls but cant do this as they are all included in my price-plan anyway?

Thanks!!

[EmmaReed84]

Do you have access to on line billing, some companies give free itemised billing on line

[mindingmummy]

Hi Emma,

Yes I do have access to the itemised billing but how much would I claim considering all my texts and calls are 'free' anyway?

[EmmaReed84]

Ahhh I see.... erm... dunno

To be fair I use my phone so little for CM that I personally dont bother... I do have a Pay As You Go that I top up every 6 months and use it to give out to people and use that as my first contact with parents (that way I dont give out my personal number to the world) I claim for that but that is £20 every 6 months.

[mindingmummy]

hmmm. Ok thanks

I may just not bother claiming, I just didn't want to miss the opportunity!

Thanks

[ChildcareCate]

Hi. My accountant puts all my mobile phone bill against childminding and none of home phone. I am on contract too but his reasoning is that I would need to have a mobile phone to childmind so rather than sorting out what calls were for personal and business, he just claims the whole lot. He has been doing that for 4 years now and I totally trust his judgement re Inland Revenue.
Catherine

[mindingmummy]

Thanks Catherine!!

Thats what I wanted to hear but didnt want to be naughty

[ChildcareCate]

I never knowingly do anything "naughty" as I need to sleep at night!!

[rickysmiths]

b What you should do is look at your bill and work out the percentage of calls etc made for childminding. You should do the same for your home phone.

[catlyn]

but what happens if as mindinmummy says all the calls are "free" within the contract.,..what percentage if any of the line rental can be claimed?

[rickysmiths]

but what happens if as mindinmummy says all the calls are "free" within the contract.,..what percentage if any of the line rental can be claimed?

You have to work out roughly who uses the phone in your home for what and apply a fair % for your use as a cm. That was how my accountant and I did it.

in our house I claim 50%, dh claims 25% (not on cm income he has his own business) and the rest is children and home use.

[Chatterbox Childcare]

You calls are not FREE they are included in your price plan

Get an itemised bill and divide the amount of calls into what you are charged for the monthly amount and then multiply by the number of business calls to get the cost - it doesn't take long