contract employment

dayum..

I dont have my P45 so completed a P46...

I opted to go with Atlantic because I start on Monday and had basically 5 hrs to learn about umbrella companies, what they did and which one to go with..

I will be driving to work for which I will claim back expenses for and also Atlantic said I would get a £4 breakfast and £7 lunch allowance...Also they mentioned they are an authorised AMEC company and so on and so forth..

I was really concerned about the breakfast and lunch allowance as I will have to keep receipts for this and I know I will have breakfast before I leave and lunch most probably from home, occassionally pop into tescos for something...

Due to the lack of time I did not have the privilege of much time, after speaking to 4 - 5 different umbrellas and consulting a family account I picked the best from a bad bunch...

I hope all goes well
 
holy thread resurection!

Hi, Im in the same position, a first timer about to start a 6 month contract, what exactly are the requirements for food expence? will I have to retain thousands of recipts for cans of coke and packets of crisps? what if I get lots of food from vending machines and cant get recipts?

Could I just buy my food for the week from tescos and submit that recipt?

How are you finding it xirokx?

Thanks for any advice
 
You should keep receipts where you have them. Stick them in a box file if you don't want the going everywhere!

For vending machines just keep a spreadsheet as an audit.

And yes tesco receipts would be fine too!
 
After contracting with Atlantic Umbrella for over a year, I can safely confirm that you do not need to keep receipts for lunch/breakfast expenses.
It's the same for their milage allowances - there's no way for me to produce a receipt for miles travelled so it's just part of their HMRC dispensation that allows for small, daily expenses. That's why it's a fixed amount payable on proof of your working hours. Honestly, don't worry about the small daily allowances, but do keep any other receipts for any other indivdual amounts.
will I have to retain thousands of recipts for cans of coke and packets of crisps? what if I get lots of food from vending machines and cant get recipts?

Could I just buy my food for the week from tescos and submit that recipt?
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This is exactly the reason why they give you a fixed daily amount for lunch (and breakfast where applicable), as it's simply not realistic (or even possible) to get receipts for lunch and food every day - it would also add enormously to the Umbrella company's overheads if they had to process these claims every day.
 
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He didn't say he was with a brolly, he may be ltd.

Even if i was with a brolly, i'd still keep reciepts for everything for the HMRC mandated time (6 years IIRC).

Its not the brolly that sets the rules, its the HMRC so i'd cover my back.

Costs nothing to keep a box full of paper at home, and there may be a time you are glad you did....
 
Thanks for the advice, ill have to get in touch with some brolly companies to see whats on offer.

Another question if you dont mind, ill be doing 12hr days so I qualify for the higher rate of food allowance, so, if for example I spend £10 on food one day, do I get £10 back, or just the tax on the £10, 17.5%???

Thanks
 
Fair point Stolly, but as he was asking xirokx his experience, it would seem logical he's asking about an Umbrella.
I agree that keeping reciepts is a good habit to get into, and there's certainly no down-side to at all, but as mentioned it's simply not possible to get receipts for everything (milage is another good example).
 
mattyfez, it's very important that you ask your umbrella company for an answer on these questions, or perhaps visit some of the Contractor forums http://forums.contractoruk.com/ as these will give more accurate answers.
I would certainly get on the phone to an Umbrella company first though, as they'll be able to give you proper quotes based on your exact circumstances.
 
robbiemc said:
Fair point Stolly, but as he was asking xirokx his experience, it would seem logical he's asking about an Umbrella.
I agree that keeping reciepts is a good habit to get into, and there's certainly no down-side to at all, but as mentioned it's simply not possible to get receipts for everything (milage is another good example).
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No, not everything, vending machines is an excellent example.

As for mileage, if you are claiming 2k miles a month you can't get a receipt for that as such but you will be buying a lot of fuel, so keep the receipts for the fuel.
 
contracting is fun but just be aware as you are offering your services you are supposed to hit the ground running and get on with things...

Atlantic umbrella are great, they really have a good system in place, they follow up and explain things clearly and dont mind repeating themselves, they are helpful and patient...

How long is your contract for?

How far is it from your house / flat ? in mile?

Re: expenses, lets say you spend £100 per week and you earn £500 per week, so you would only pay tax on £400...

Sure you can keep receipts for petrol and breakfasts and lunches but the latter 2 depend on whether you receive anything for them in the first place which any umbrella company would advise you about when you call them..

I found atlantic very helpful because once I signed up to them they were calling me to find out my expenses or talk me through certain things..

On a final note, just remember if your contract is not longer then 10 weeks then you will not be entitled to claim any expenses.

Good luck, give me a shout if you need any more advice..
 
Sorry for the confusion, im not anything yet, but I start a 6 month contract in the next few weeks, so as a noob, I think brolly is the way to go for now....the more I read, the more it seems like a minefield.

So if I were to be investigated and there were some food expenses that were un-supported by real recipts, would they hit me for the lot, or guesstimate what they thought were not genuine.....the more I read about this the more I dont like it :(
 
Mattyfez, in this situation an Umbrella company is probably easiest for you, but you really do need to call them up and ask them for their offical stance on these specific expenses - you'll get an immediate and accurate answer (rather than some guesstimates from here).
 
xirokx said:
On a final note, just remember if your contract is not longer then 10 weeks then you will not be entitled to claim any expenses.
Click to expand...

Where did you get this info from? My last contract only lasted 5 weeks and I was able to get all my expenses through with no problems (with Atlantic Umbrella).
 
If you look here:
http://www.atlantic-umbrella.com/expense-policy.php
You'll see that expenses are split into some that require receipts, and others that do not. The ones that do not are called 'allowances', which includes lunch/breakfast.

Mattyfez, don't worry too much - as long as you go with a reputable Umbrella company you'll be perfectly fine. Your other option would be to start your own LTD company and hire an acountant. This is great for contractors who are long-term contractors, but if this is your first and you're starting soon then it's much easier and safer to go with an Umbrella company.
 
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