Claiming against tax??

[trunkybun]

Just a quickie...
What do you do when you are on holiday and are not minding any children. Do you still claim light&heat, water rates etc for that week? also, if you buy a big piece of play equipment for the garden (couple of hundred pounds) how much can you claim against tax if your own children are going to be using it as well??

I don't put through utility bill expenses when I am off as I am not working, or even at home myself usually. If I buy anything tho I put it through, ie souvenirs for mindees, food for week after, etc.

Not sure about big play equipment so will be watching this thread with interest!

bump

As we can claim a percentage of utility bills, I wouldn't make a reduction of anything if I wasn't working! Far too complicated! (Are you at home rather than being away when you say "on holiday"?)

Re. big play equipment - would you be buying it for your own children anyway?

Hi
Yes I would be holidaying at home!!(probably an oxymoron) It's just that I was doing 'the books' for this week and it occured to me that I probably should not claim the percentage off utility bills etc, if the mindees aren't here, similar to knocking a percentage off the food costs that I claim when a mindee is absent.
The outdoor equipment would be for all to use, although I probably wouldn't get something so large (or pricey) if it were just for my own child.

You aren't allowed to claim heat & light when you haven't any mindees. Even if you spend the whole time doing your accounts, coursework, contracts, invoices, planning, cooking to freeze etc and aren't actually on holiday .

If you wouldn't have bought the play equipment if you weren't a childminder you can claim 100%. Otherwise you have to decide what the tax office would accept as a reasonable proportion eg, 50%.

Thanks for all that, kinda confirmed what I thought Think I will claim 50% of costs of play equipment as mindees will probably get as much (if not more) use out of it!!