[Iain p]

Hi guys,

Do you need to give domestic customers a receipt??

Personaly I don't see the point!

The tax man just wants to know how much you have made? He does'nt ask to see a receipt for every customer every month for a whole year


Comercial Is a different story!

[drew86]

Hi i have just started out, I'am not giveing out receipts for domestic only invoices for comercial,
Drew.

[ccwc1988]

No receipts for anyone just only commercial tell the tax office you earn £5,000 for year one and increase this 20% per year they wont ask for receipts.

[windows_chepstow]

No receipts for anyone just only commercial tell the tax office you earn £5,000 for year one and increase this 20% per year they wont ask for receipts.

CCWC,

That's only a little over £400 per month.  What happens if you pay more than £5000 into your bank during the course of the tax year and get investigated?

(I'm assuming you're meaning 'turnover' when you say you 'earn £5000'.)

I think you could end up in the 'mire'.

[ccwc1988]

No No no you EARN £5k first year, now to pay more into the bank would just be silly would it not.

Earn what you like it's all cash.. I know they will accept £5k first year.. my mate has just gone UPTO £7,500 and he's three years in.

[windows_chepstow]

I'm not saying I'm 'whiter than the driven snow', when it comes to my accounting; but it's not good to advise people how to fiddle their tax on this forum; no-matter how well-meaning you mean it; and we all know how difficult it is to meet the bills when you first start out.

But what normally happens is that someone whose 100% honest and above-board with the tax man gets upset and starts calling people 'theives' and stuff.

I'm not a mod here, but it's probably wiser to keep any 'tax avoidance' tips to yourself; or just e-mail them directly to me.

[pylofm]

Hi Iain, I do not give an 'official' reciept, however I give a A6 printed card with my details on....and the date of their next clean.

Official reciepts are given if requested.

Cheers
Dave.

[Paul Coleman]

Hi guys,

Do you need to give domestic customers a receipt??

Personaly I don't see the point!

The tax man just wants to know how much you have made? He does'nt ask to see a receipt for every customer every month for a whole year


Comercial Is a different story!

That's pretty much how I do it too.  Commercial jobs get an invoice.  I will mark this as "PAID" and sign it if requested so it can then act as a receipt too.  Domestic customers only get a receipt is they ask for one.  Most of them receive a bill from me as a lot of them are out.  They can use that if they want.

[pjulk]

Im the same as paul.

Domestic customers don't get receipts they never ask and most of mine get billed anyway so like paul said they can use that.

Commercial jobs i do don't get receipts either they get an invoice for the work done.

They can have a receipt if they want but they never ask.

I don't even have a receipt book as i don't need one.

I used to do some small shops and these all had receipts as they all paid there and then

Paul

[Moderator David@stives]

ccwc

I can see you ending up with a tax investigation , i think you haVE JUST TOLD THE TAX MAN EVERYTHING HE NEEDS TO KNOW.

funnily enough I had a discussion yesterday with a customer who wouldnt believe me when i said i declare eery penny , more or less calling me a liar, this really started to wind me up.

Why do some people think window cleaners are always on the fiddle, maybe some are, but not all of us.

My motto is to live your life with complete integrity even down to paying your taxes.

How can you be honest in one respect and dishonest in another, it just doesnt add up, where is the cross over point between the 2,

I dont believe in a cross over point, if you found it easy to lie in one aspect of your life, it can quite easily happen in another and then you will wish you never had.

How can you live constantly looking over your shoulder to see if the tax man is coming,I am sure this will drive you nuts eventually.

I would rather earn a lot of money and pay a lot of tax, rather earn little and pay little.

Just focus on keep earning and the tax bill will take care of itself, if you start being shady then that will shift focus away from your goals as you will always be juggling how much you can fiddle in your head instead of focusing on the way forward.

Did you know dishonesty shows on your face, have you ever noticed most criminals look like criminals ?.

As for reciepts they are not required unless asked for, but you must keep all your day sheets showing what work you have done, who paid , etc .file them and record the figures in your accounts

Dave

[ccwc1988]

Dave,

I agree with what you say ! But when you are starting out you do need all the help you can get, especially if you have a moaning wife.

I agree with you again on the moral front as well... all I am trying to say is that there are other options, I'm not saying they are necessary the right options...I have been in business for 18 years , starting as you all did up and down ladders on domestic jobs running in  between showers etc.. It is not easy when you have a young family as I did then.

Now fortunately I run a large w/c company, but back in the day I was up and down all day on my own ... I know how frustrating it can be. I did get investigated for two years, as long as you not stupid you can do it.... it's options if you need them.

I now pay 5 figure tax bills now !!

[Moderator David@stives]

I am not at the 5 figure tax bill yet, but at the present rate of growth i will soon be there.

I have just re read your post and realise you werent saying you were an the dodge, so sorry about that.

I think in this day and age with the working and child tax credits no one should find money a struggle when starting out.

Dave

[Moderator David@stives]

Cardiff window cleaners

I have just seen your web site, It looks like you ar a professional outfit, do you use the cherry picker often ?

Dave

p.s who is the National Window Cleaning Federation ?

[ccwc1988]

Dave

Cherry pickers yes...NWCF, don't know... web desiger's reseach. I'm hoping...

[Moderator David@stives]

there is no such thing as the nwcf there is the fwc which used to be the nfmwc and the  nfmw&gc, I think they suffered fron an identity crisis.
Also you have the APWC which is the newest association.

Dave

[Paul Coleman]

ccwc

I can see you ending up with a tax investigation , i think you haVE JUST TOLD THE TAX MAN EVERYTHING HE NEEDS TO KNOW.

funnily enough I had a discussion yesterday with a customer who wouldnt believe me when i said i declare eery penny , more or less calling me a liar, this really started to wind me up.

Why do some people think window cleaners are always on the fiddle, maybe some are, but not all of us.

My motto is to live your life with complete integrity even down to paying your taxes.

How can you be honest in one respect and dishonest in another, it just doesnt add up, where is the cross over point between the 2,

I dont believe in a cross over point, if you found it easy to lie in one aspect of your life, it can quite easily happen in another and then you will wish you never had.

How can you live constantly looking over your shoulder to see if the tax man is coming,I am sure this will drive you nuts eventually.

I would rather earn a lot of money and pay a lot of tax, rather earn little and pay little.

Just focus on keep earning and the tax bill will take care of itself, if you start being shady then that will shift focus away from your goals as you will always be juggling how much you can fiddle in your head instead of focusing on the way forward.

Did you know dishonesty shows on your face, have you ever noticed most criminals look like criminals ?.

As for reciepts they are not required unless asked for, but you must keep all your day sheets showing what work you have done, who paid , etc .file them and record the figures in your accounts

Dave

I've found a few customers irritating on that score too David.  A few have tried to emphasise that they are paying cash as if they are giving me tax free money.  I used to try to explain to them that my business is legitimate but I gave up trying to explain it in the end.  I came to the conclusion that they were just projecting their own attitudes onto me.  However, the flip side is that I keep my receipts for all work related expenditure.  Even small receipts are kept.  To give an example, I'm even booking the cost of a bicycle tyre pump against tax.  I don't own a bicycle but I do use the pump to re-inflate my trolley tyres sometimes.  Even the puncture repair kit went down.  Both perfectly legitimate 100% work items for a non bike owner.  It's easy for those little receipts to add up to £100+ in a year - a saving of £33+ when taking into account tax and NI.  It's not much money but it is a few meals after all.

[Paul Coleman]

there is no such thing as the nwcf there is the fwc which used to be the nfmwc and the  nfmw&gc, I think they suffered fron an identity crisis.
Also you have the APWC which is the newest association.

Dave

It's OK David.  They're in therapy now