Business expenses are expenses you have paid to run the business. Not all business expenses are deductible. Show
What is DeductibleDeductible business expenses reduce your company’s taxable income and the amount of tax you need to pay. ExampleComputation$Income80,000Business Expenses15,000 - Deductible Business Expenses5,000 - Non-Deductible Business Expenses10,000Income Subject to Tax ('Taxable Income')80,000 - 5,000 = 75,000(Income minus deductible expenses) Generally, deductible business expenses are those 'wholly and exclusively incurred in the production of income'. In other words, they must satisfy all these conditions:
Learn more about the tax deductibility of expenses by watching our e-Learning video. What is Non-DeductibleNon-deductible business expenses are activities you or your employees pay for that do not fulfil the conditions above. These include personal expenses (such as travel, or entertainment not related to the running of the business) and capital expenses (such as expenses incurred to incorporate a company and the purchase of fixed assets). Learn how to make tax adjustments (such as adding back non-deductible business expenses) to arrive at the income that is chargeable to tax. Examples of Deductible & Non-Deductible Business ExpensesLearn more about the tax treatment of business expenses: Further/ Enhanced/ Double DeductionsThere are various tax schemes that provide for further/ enhanced/ double deductions on qualifying business expenses. Rent is any amount paid for the use of property that a small business doesn't own. Typically, rent can be deducted as a business expense when the rent is for property the taxpayer uses for the business. Here are some things small business owners should keep in mind when it comes to deducting rental expenses:Lease or purchase
Unreasonable rentBusinesses can't take a rental deduction for unreasonable rents paid. Rent is unreasonable for deduction when it is higher than market value or a professional appraisal.
Office in the homeA business owner's workplace can be in their home if they have a home office that qualifies as their principal place of business. As we have already mentioned in our earlier article, it is possible for directors to claim a work from home allowance under HMRC rules. This allows the director to reclaim an element of the running costs of the work from home office space. Unlike the self-employed, directors are not allowed to claim for a proportion of rent or mortgage interest. They are however, allowed to charge rent to the company for the occupation of the property. The ‘commercial’ rental income must be declared in the land and property section of the director’s personal tax return.
A rental agreement should be put in place to evidence the commercial arrangement between the director and the company. The director then becomes the company landlord and is allowed to charge rent. the commercial agreement then allows the director to declare a proportion of costs in their personal tax return.
Setting up a formal agreement
Consider:
To licence or lease?A non-exclusive annually renewable licence for the use of a home office is far more flexible and forgiving than a formal lease which is governed by the Landlord and Tenant Act which could have Capital Gains Tax and Business Rates implications. If you are leasing substantial or separate buildings then a lease formal lease agreement would be appropriate and you would need to consult a lawyer to draw up the agreement. Caseron MasterclassesIf you'd like to take a deeper dive into this topic, take a look at our bloody brilliant business masterclass and download. If you would like to get access to all of our Masterclasses, tutorials, workbooks, checklists and cheatsheets - our PROFIT HACKERS membership club is for you! |