travel expenses

[aleksandra]

I wonder how to calculate travel expenses, if I do not own a car, but make business trips with my husband in his car. Thank You for all your advice.

[Punched]

Why don't you get your Husband to give you a Reciept and use this as your expense?? (Like a Taxi)

You don't Say if you make the trips for your own business or working for someone else?? Its a big difference in the type of replies you'll recieve

[aleksandra]

Hi! Thanks for your reply.
I am self employed, I sell online, so I often go to the Post Office. My nearest Post Office is just round the corner, so I usually walk, but sometimes this Post Office is closed, so I have to go to another one, so I ask my husband to take me there.
Thank You

[Punched]

and theres me thinking your a travelling salesperson notching up 100,000 miles a year

I guess the best option for you would be to add a little extra to your Postage and Packing charges, Take your husbands expenses into account and work out something resonable.

Surely the best bet would be to just keep going to the post office round the corner ? They close?? but theres the next day, Its rare for a post office to close for a full day, (except sunday) you just need to organise your time a bit more.

I think trying to claim for the odd trip to the post office might tempt the tax office to take a bit more of a closer look at your business. have you not tried to get a courier account set up where they collect from your home??

[aleksandra]

I know it souns funny, but the post office round the corner is very small and open only Mon, Wed, Fri and even that they close very often for strange reasons such as: no heating, computer broken, snow, car broken, they sick or for no reason at all. I think, I organise my time quite well, I send parcels three times a week when the PO should be open, so if the Post Office is closed I have to go somewhere else (can not let my customers wait another 2 days for me to send the parcels).
The next Post Office is over 3 miles away, so I can't walk there, but anyway...
What about any trips to bank or business training?

[Punched]

Like i said can you not arrange for a courier company to collect the parcels directly from you???

Many self-employed business people have set up their businesses to run from their home address. If you are self-employed you can claim for any travel expense which is required by your trade as long as the business element can be separated from any private element. For instance you may use your car for a trip into town to bank your business cheques and call at the supermarket on the way home.

To meet the HM Revenue & Custom's requirement of reasonable care in apportioning such costs, you must keep appropriate records. For car users this would normally be a written log of business miles and a record of the vehicles recorded mileage at the beginning and end of each trading year. In this way an accurate assessment of average business use can be calculated and applied to total running costs.

Thats why i say a courier company may be better for you. Either way i've added a Expense claim form from HMRC Hope that helps

[aleksandra]

Thank You, I am thinking of courier company, but still have some doubts about it.
The problem I've had wasn't really what to claim but how to calculate it if you don't drive yourself and the car is not yours.
Anyway, thanks You for your help.

[Punched]

Thank You, I am thinking of courier company, but still have some doubts about it.
The problem I've had wasn't really what to claim but how to calculate it if you don't drive yourself and the car is not yours.
Anyway, thanks You for your help.

If you read the attachment you will see that you can claim 40p a mile, you will need to keep reciepts etc

[aleksandra]

Unfortunately, I can not open the attached file, it says I have no access to it, don't know why

[xela1966]

You always can ask the recipt for your shoes, as it is your main transport