How much should my receipt be for?

[GeorgieTheGorgeousGoat]

I will keep it really simple because otherwise it’s confusing.

I am self employed and need to attend a mandatory course on Saturday (face to face)

A local group has organised the course including the trainer and the venue. The venue has said that they will charge a nominal amount for the hire and donate it to a local charity.

The group has invoiced me for one amount but listed it separately in the message to me (course £100 + venue £20 so £120 please).

I paid immediately and the group organiser sent me a receipt for £100 so I can claim it as an expense when I do my tax return.

Shouldn’t it be for £120 though? I’ve queried it and she said it’s right as the charity donation isn’t an expense. I feel the venue owner is making the donation, not me. I realise it’s only £20 but I’m still a bit miffed at her logic.

Just interested in your thoughts too! Yes I have more important things to worry about (like my tax return due by 31/1 ) in case anyone wonders

I had similar in my job once. The donation was deemed not a legitimate expense and could not be paid back as it was "voluntary".

Could the invoiced not be resubmitted, including the venue?

If you gift aid the donation you can claim it on your tax return in a separate section to your self employment 😀

Can your use the initial invoice for your records?

I didn’t even get an invoice, just a WhatsApp message.

I guess they are not putting it through their books as income, and sending it straight to the charity - but if you are obligated to pay it in order to do the course, that doesn't sound much like a donation to me!

Tell her that you need a formal and complete invoice for your records. You will pass it as expense and charitable donation. But you need the whole amount to be invoiced to be able to do so. Her not providing you with the correct information means your records are incomplete!

Her records are her own responsbility, she can't police yours.

I’m going to email them and make my request a bit more ‘formal’.

@CuriousaboutSamphire

Tell her that you need a formal and complete invoice for your records. You will pass it as expense and charitable donation. But you need the whole amount to be invoiced to be able to do so. Her not providing you with the correct information means your records are incomplete!

Her records are her own responsbility, she can't police yours.

This.

Your invoice should reflect the actual monies paid over.

Following on from pps, this doesn't sound like a charitable donation on your part or on the organiser's part - the venue are charging for hire as they normally would (if they then choose to donate to charity, up to them). So you would need an invoice for the full amount as you say.

It probably needs to be to a registered charity that's part of the gift aid scheme for it to count as a charitable donation for tax purposes.

The money you pay to the venue is a fee as far as you're concerned and what the venue does with the money is a separate issue.

I agree that they should send you a receipt for the £120, but there's no rush as far as this year's tax return is concerned, because you can't do that until April.

It doesn't really matter for them...a receipt is just a record of money paid not what the recipient then did with it.

If it was required for VAT purposes it would be different

Just ask for it to show £120