[tompoole]

what do you all do about hyour transport costs.
1. mileage @ 40p per mile
2. put van through busines and collect receipt for all expenses..
Just completed my 1st year and kept a record of mileage , but its a pain and doesn't realy cover every thing, so what do you all do? and what do your accountants advise you to do
chers#
tom

[Klean07]

Keep every receipt including petrol, mot, service, cleaning, tax, insurance etc then give them to your accountant along with your other receipts etc. Also receipt for the purchase of your van. The cost of your van will be divided into 4. This is called capital allowance and say for eg your van was £4000 then you'll allow £1000 per tax year for next 4 years. My allowance last year was £3000 which included petrol, tax, mot, service and cost of van.
Hope this helps.

[matt]

ive allways done 40 p per mile, but thats looking outdated now, it didnt really cover me for the insurance and road tax

so this year i have collected all the receipts aswell

i will see what works out the best

[williamx]

Keep every receipt including petrol, mot, service, cleaning, tax, insurance etc then give them to your accountant along with your other receipts etc. Also receipt for the purchase of your van. The cost of your van will be divided into 4. This is called capital allowance and say for eg your van was £4000 then you'll allow £1000 per tax year for next 4 years. My allowance last year was £3000 which included petrol, tax, mot, service and cost of van.
Hope this helps.
[/quote

The capital Allowance has now been raised to £50000, so on your next return you can claim all of it back.

[williamx]

ive allways done 40 p per mile, but thats looking outdated now, it didnt really cover me for the insurance and road tax

so this year i have collected all the receipts aswell

i will see what works out the best

Matt

You cannot chop and change which method you use, if you are on the milege method then you have to stay on that method until you replace the vechicle with another one.

[tompoole]

surely you can change once if you have just started  .
my landrover is worth  8k plus running cost, i won't have to pay much tax at all if i put the landrover through the business, Have i missed something

[matt]

ive allways done 40 p per mile, but thats looking outdated now, it didnt really cover me for the insurance and road tax

so this year i have collected all the receipts aswell

i will see what works out the best

Matt

You cannot chop and change which method you use, if you are on the milege method then you have to stay on that method until you replace the vechicle with another one.

indeed, i changed my van last year, thus the opportunity to change

[luther1]

If your van is 8k then you get a first year capital allowance of 50%.If you pay 22% tax you will get 22% of 4k off of your tax.Next year 40 or 50%(can't remember)off the remaining 4k is Taxed again at 22%.The year after its 2k etc.You don't get tax allowance on the full amount for 4 years.

[williamx]

surely you can change once if you have just started  .
my landrover is worth  8k plus running cost, i won't have to pay much tax at all if i put the landrover through the business, Have i missed something

As soon as you have sent your tax returns to the tax man, then whatever method you are using for the vechicle, cannot be changed.

If you are on your 1st year trading, then its wise to kept a record to show both figures, so when you need to file your return you can pick the one thats suitable to you.

But is inportant to remember the following years to come.

[williamx]

If your van is 8k then you get a first year capital allowance of 50%.If you pay 22% tax you will get 22% of 4k off of your tax.Next year 40 or 50%(can't remember)off the remaining 4k is Taxed again at 22%.The year after its 2k etc.You don't get tax allowance on the full amount for 4 years.

I sorry the rules have changed.

For the year ending april 5 2008 you have to use the capital allowance rate of 50% in the 1st year followed by 25% thereafter on any purchase over £200.

But for the year beginning 6 April 2008  and ending 5 April 2009, or 1 April if you use 31 March as your tax year end.

The capital allowance figure has been change from £200 to  £50000 before you need to use the writing down allowance.

[geefree]

its changed to a fifth now, not 25%, so my accountant says.

he also says claim petrol with reciepts as the mileage is more complicated with personal and business use etc...

[luther1]

Either way,you get a half decent chunk off your tax in the first year and a steady decline for the next 3.I've just put through my 17k van and got 2k ish off my tax bill.Next year will be minimal.

[williamx]

Either way,you get a half decent chunk off your tax in the first year and a steady decline for the next 3.I've just put through my 17k van and got 2k ish off my tax bill.Next year will be minimal.

Next year will be 15k

[Paul Coleman]

Keep every receipt including petrol, mot, service, cleaning, tax, insurance etc then give them to your accountant along with your other receipts etc. Also receipt for the purchase of your van. The cost of your van will be divided into 4. This is called capital allowance and say for eg your van was £4000 then you'll allow £1000 per tax year for next 4 years. My allowance last year was £3000 which included petrol, tax, mot, service and cost of van.
Hope this helps.
[/quote

The capital Allowance has now been raised to £50000, so on your next return you can claim all of it back.

I asked my accountant about this.  It sounds like it doesn't apply to vehicles.  Other capital items can have the total value offset in year one though - or that's what I think he said.
Don't take my word on this.  I could stand to be corrected.

[Paul Coleman]

Be nicew to be able to claim 100% of vehicle in year one.  Might give the vehicle building industry a boost too.

[macmac]

Be nicew to be able to claim 100% of vehicle in year one.  Might give the vehicle building industry a boost too.

It would be nice if someone knew for sure what was what, i.e. solid fact!

I nominate "shiner" a gentle, honest, genuine, unbiased, humble, helpfull person to phone up the IR & present us with a few facts.

Wadya fink?

Tony

[williamx]

http://www.taxationweb.co.uk/forum/capital-allowances-and-vat-for-vans-t25922.html

This is the answer you are all looking for.

[RSWindows]

The 40p milage allowance is only applicable to people who own the vehicle, so if you paid for the vehicle out of your own pocket and not through the business then you can claim the 40p allowance per mile. It costs approx 10p per mile to run a vehicle (dep on travels and engine etc) and the additional 30p is to cover tyres, insurance, mot, road tax,  service etc etc

If you do a lot of traveling per week, say upwards of 300 miles per week the the 40p method mabie best as it will more than cover the fuel and insurances etc that you have paid out of your own pocket.

But you cant claim the 40p rate if any part of the vehicle is being paid through the business, insurance, fuel recipts, initial cost of vehicle etc. The vehicle must be owned and maintained by YOU.

Im not 100% but i think it possible to purchase your own vehicle through the business but an average market value price must only be paid and that will enable you to be able to put all costs through the business if the 40 rate method isnt cost effective for your business and/or you. But dont quote me on the above statement as im not 100% on that.

If you only do say for example 100 miles per week then it is doubtfull that the 40p rate method will be financially beneficial to yourself but it is easy to work out the maths and decide from there whats best for you

[williamx]

And if you go over 10000 miles in one year the rate drops to 25p per mile.

[dai]

I average 54 miles a day, it works very well for me as, I run an up to now reliable old escort van.
I paid £350 and got back £!00 for the old one, if you get a year out of a £250 van, and you do 9000 miles.your quids in on the 40p.
All this is down to being lucky, and nothing major going wrong.
With all the soaking the inside gets, I guess there will be some welding required for the next MOT in March.