At long last I think I may have my first client !!
The potential client runs a pet sitting service for home owners who are busy at work all day and also takes care of the pets in their home while the owners are on holiday etc.
She wants to know a lot of information regarding claiming her expenses as detailed below:
1. What expenses can she claim?
2. She is thinking of buying a new car specifically designed for pets and wants to know the best way to claim that on expenses - perhaps capital allowance?
3. She wants to build a porch at her home specifically for pets and wants to know the best way to claim for that as expenses.
4. She is thinking of taking on 2 more staff due to the growing business but on zero hours, and wants to know if she needs to pay minimum wage etc. Also one of the employees will be reaching pension age soon and wants to know if this has any effect. The other employee is a lot younger and wants to know how to deal with maternity pay etc if she decides to start a family and also holiday pay.
5. She is also planning to go on a nutritional course for pets and wants to know the best way of claiming that for expenses.
6. Regarding the 2 other employess she plans to take on, she wants to know if it's best to provide them with a business car to take the pets around or ask them to use their own car.
Being my very first client, I am very scared of getting anything wrong, so I rang HMRC the other day regarding all this just to get an idea, but they refused to tell me anything!!
Can someone me where else I could get help with all this?
Given you have been on here since 2010 and have a few posts and 'stuff' has clearly changed for you I think its appropriate to ask the following, which we would ask new folk for before answering:-
What prof body do you belong to, do/have you also work/ed in a practice/ firm, are you a bookkeeper or accountant, what qualifications, how long in role, where up to in your studies-what exams passed/with what body/in midst of doing, where based, what you did before this role? That sort of thing. Helps get to know you but also how best to pitch answers.
Also - have you sorted your PII out? Who is your MLR cover with? What does your PII state about giving tax advice?
Are you acting in the capacity of bookkeeper for this client (up to TB) or Accountant as well?
Then the last Q for now - and I ask this in all seriousness and will explain why when you have answered these Qs - when was the last time you read this site? (Helps with the pointers in answering Qs you have rasied)
Please also add your name so that it appears under the line on the posts, to save folk looking it up each time. Go to your profile and click edit and then signature.
__________________
Joanne
Winner of Bookkeeper of the Year 2015, 2016 & 2017
Thoughts are my own/not to be regarded as official advice,which should be sought from a suitably qualified Accountant.
You should check out answers with reference to the legal position
PS - I am very impressed by your client, not by her having a so called business of pet sitting, but by the fact that she is asking advice before she plows on and does something - if only all clients were like that. Saves us digging them out of a mess (or being unable to!) when they tell us after the fact!
__________________
Joanne
Winner of Bookkeeper of the Year 2015, 2016 & 2017
Thoughts are my own/not to be regarded as official advice,which should be sought from a suitably qualified Accountant.
You should check out answers with reference to the legal position
It would also be nice if the OP offered some of their own views on the questions that the client is asking Well, quite, but first client and all those nerves etc! Im not sure their PII is going to cover this. But perhaps some pointers and then come back with thoughts for further guidance?
And asking HMRC is not the best way to get the correct answers This in part due to my asking one of the Qs above (with explanation to follow).
One thing I would say - dont give her all the answers until she is signed up! She may just be fishing for freebies! Gawd this business has turned me into more of a cynic than I was.
-- Edited by Cheshire on Sunday 2nd of February 2020 11:05:52 AM
__________________
Joanne
Winner of Bookkeeper of the Year 2015, 2016 & 2017
Thoughts are my own/not to be regarded as official advice,which should be sought from a suitably qualified Accountant.
You should check out answers with reference to the legal position
