Tax returns - some questions

[hawkida]

How does tax work in this situation:

I have a regular job and a normal income from it - an annual salary taxed as PAYE.
I do some extra work that brings in a modest income but isn't anything like a primary job and the income is irregular. Let's say it's polishing housebricks on an ad-hoc basis.

I believe I then need to declare this extra income on a tax return.

However, if polishing house bricks were a regular job, I understand I could claim tax exemptions on things like my phone which is needed for contacting potential clients who need bricks polished, and my polishing kit, which is clearly essential. Effectively I'd be declaring myself to be a housebrick polisher.

If housebrick polishing isn't my full time or primary job, though, can I still claim those costs? And how much is reasonable before you get into MP-duckhouse territory? Can I claim on anything peripherally related to the polishing, even if I'd have bought it anyway? What if the items far outweigh the income generated by brick polishing?

Comments

[seawasp]

My understanding is that you can claim anything directly related to the brick polishing, and yes, the costs can easily outweigh the income. Consider someone starting a jewelry business; they have to spend lots of money just building up an inventory, and it may be YEARS before they start selling more pieces than they are spending on new materials. If they start going to craft fairs and such, the travel costs (including food, etc.) will also build up.

Indirect... well, it depends. As I note above, you can certainly claim food expenses on trips which are for your work.


Note that I am not a tax professional or lawyer. If you want AUTHORITATIVE answers, you really need to ask one of them.

[autopope.livejournal.com]

Your advice about food expenses on work trips is invalid in the UK (HMRCs reasoning is that you'd have to eat something even if you stayed home). Buying a client a meal, however, falls under "hospitality" which is a sub-category of marketing, and as long as it doesn't violate the Bribery Act (2010) you can probably claim it.

[luckykaa.livejournal.com]

I was always able to claim for my food when working away from my usual place of employment, and the umbrella company was very by-the-book on this sort of thing.