Q. Mr Jones has arranged to add on a couple days to his family holiday so he can visit colleagues to discuss work matters. His accountant has told him that he can’t claim any of the costs relating to the trip. Is this correct? A. As you probably already know about the general rule for...

Can I change my mind about a dividend? Q. In 2019 my company paid me cash adding up to over £25,000. This was charged to my director’s loan account (DLA), and at the company’s year end (31 December 2019) I still owed the money. My accountant says because of this the company will have to...

VAT on overseas work? Q. I am VAT registered as a window cleaner. I visit my mother in Dublin for one week every two months and do some work while I am there. Do I need to charge VAT on this work or is it not an issue because I am doing the work outside...

Q. My parents stay in and pay the mortgage on my house, is this classed as rental income? I have owned a house for 12 years which I don’t currently live in. My parents live in the house and they pay me just enough money each month to cover the mortgage payments. Should I pay...

Claim VAT on a new house build? Q. My wife and I have just bought a plot of land. We intend to build a new house on the land and sell it. Can we register for VAT and claim input tax on our building costs? A. The answer is yes, but there are two important...

Can we submit monthly VAT returns? Q. We struggle to pay our quarterly VAT returns on time because we use the VAT money for other business expenses before it becomes due. Would HMRC allow us to complete monthly returns to help our cash flow? A. Unfortunately not. A business can only submit monthly returns if...

Does the name on the invoice matter? Q. I am the finance director of a large company and have just discovered that hotel bills we pay for in relation to our sales staff working away from home are always made out to the individual employee and not the company. Does this create an input tax...