Childminder expenses query...

[leeloo1]

Hiya,

I've read that if you work 40 hours a week you can deduct the maximum percentage for electricity, council tax etc etc as expesnses, but...

Do you have to work 40 hours, or be contracted to work them to claim this?

I hope to work 4 x 10 hour days - but if my parents picked their child up early on some of the days then whilst I'd be contracted to work 40 hours then I wouldn't have worked them.

I hope that makes sense, as any help getting my head round this would be appreciated!

Thanks

It's the actual hours you work that count, NOT the contracted hours. The NCMA website has loads of info on this - you don't have to be a member to browse it.

Flippin eck - I would think that the odd hour or two of the 40 mark won't bring the tax man knocking on the door, I would think that the occassions that mindees are picked up late would make up and more for the odd times they were collected early.

If you did 30hrs more often than 40 then I would go for the lower rate, although if you wanted you could add all your weekly hours up and divide by 52 to get a more precise % if you are worried about claiming too much.

Have to say, have never followed this ruling to 'the law of the land' . I, rightly or wrongly, tot up the hours I spend on planning and preparation and include them in my working week.

BTW, I know someone who knew someone who worked at HMRC and they were told that they rarely check the accounts for anyone who earns less than 15k a year - it's the big fish they want to fry .

Thanks, I must be doing something wrong with the NCMA website as I can't find anything useful on it (despite now being a member) - grrrrr! I tried to look up their advice on holidays but couldn't find anything...

It looks like I'll usually be working 37 or so hours pw, which is irritatingly close to the 40... although if I include planning and prep then that'd be fine. Although knowing my luck it'll be me that gets audited by the taxman!

leelo I am supposed to start at 7.30 - 6pm I often get mindees at 7ish "hi just a bit early but we were ready quickly today" and going down the path at 7.45pm cos "sorry I'm a bit late just popped into tesco, it's much easier without the kids"

If you think you will be working 37hrs of minding you could easily add 30 - 60min per day to that in reality, not to mention the hours spent on paperwork, planning and chatting research on MN.

Claim what you can chuck, cos you damn well earn it in this job.

tax man states you can claim for 40 if your contracted to work 40 because you would have been paid for 40! you can only claim hours that your paif for, so if you work 10 hours a week and spent 50 planning - tough pants your not being paid so you cant claim it!

hope this helps.

if you would like to know what to claim ive a VERY BIG LIST lol x

i got it from www.childmindinghelp.co.uk

just message me with your email addy and ill send the list x

Lol atworknotworking (btw your name and underpaidandoverworked are my favourite on here - both so very descriptive! ). I'm sure you're right about people being late... though I'm shocked that your parents can be almost 2 hours late - I'd have assumed they'd had an accident and have called in social services by then!!! Having said that, before I left my teaching job I helped at a 'pajama party' at school when parents were meant to collect by 7pm and they were reminded of this as the kids were dropped off, but 1 set just never came to collect their 6 year old... in the end the headteacher took the poor little boy home at 10.30 and the parents took one look and said 'we thought you'd just keep him for the night.'

Ah well... am meant to be proof reading my policies before printing them off for my (first) prospective parents - am so worried that they'll complain about my fees or proposed holidays or something... It'll be a relief when all the contracts are signed - although everyone on here keeps saying about how childminders are Self Employed and you set the terms and conditions, but all over the NCMA contracts it talks about negotiating it all?!? I don't want to negotiate it, I just want them to sign up to what I decide!!!

essjay1976 Thanks for offering to send me a list of what expenses you claim for. The envelope icon thingy says you've opted not to receive messages, but if you check this post again then my email address is [email protected]