Looking at your expenses
8 – Looking at your expenses
As a BlogOn Extra member I already know that you are happy to spend your money to help to enhance your blog so I assume that you are also registered as self-employed (if you make money you should be registered as that or a limited company even if you also have a full-time job like me). Many moons ago I used to be a business accountant so I will share with you some of the things that I put through on my expenses. Legal Disclaimer, I am no longer registered and I haven’t been for about 10 years so this is a post about what I do and not what you should do so please do speak to a registered accountant or HMRC if you have any questions. Now with that out of the way here are all the ways I avoid a huge tax bill!
General website expenses
- Hosting
- Theme
- Plugins
- domain name/s
- tech support/design services
- software like photoshop/microsoft office/accountancy
- Gsuite fees (possible if you use gmail) or similar
Social media expenses
- Scheduling apps
- Canva/Picmonkey
- Advertising
General office expenses
- Simplified expenses if working from home
- Stationery
- Post Office costs
- Percentage of your phone bill
- Percentage of your Internet bill
General Business expenses
- Public liability insurance
- Accountancy fees
- Training courses
- Membership fees (like BlogOn Extra!)
- Advertising such as business cards
Equipment
- Laptop
- Camera and lenses
- Lights
- Backdrops
- Photo props
- Furniture such as a desk or office chair
Travel / Events
- Train tickets
- Hotel costs
- Mileage at 45p per mile
- Food on over night trips
- Parking
- Taxi fares
- Event Tickets
- Uniforms – If you wanted a branded top for an event for example
When I am sorting out my expenses I go through every single bank account, PayPal account, Amazon account etc and look at all of the transactions because it is easy to miss them. I do have a separate business bank account but sometimes I pay for things using my personal account so it is always worth checking. If you think of anything else that you claim let us know in the comments.