[Ian101]

Set up a few months ago and thought best get an accountant before I find out Ive been doing it wrong 12 months down the line. 

Ive been doing most of it right except Ive not been giving receipts to the customers apparantly the taxman wants to see receipts passed to customers .... my daily cash book not good enough

Anyone else give receipts to private customers ?

He first question is what did I expect from an accountant so I replied to save me a shed load of tax and keeping the bill sensible to which he laughed ... slightly 

He then went on to explain how a tax investigation works .... now determined to keep everything very accurate

[darren clarke]

only give receipts to companys,   the tax for a window cleaning business isnt that hard,  in money off jobs  out wages, fuel, equipment, uniforms vans,   

i would go see an other accountant and see what they say


r u ltd or sole trader

[Ian101]

sole trader Darren

[darren clarke]

it sholdl be easy then, if you dont emplyee everyting u make is classed as wages minus expensies,  it is so simple a lot of the accountant try to big up there job so they can charge you more

all you need is   incomings  and out goings,   each week,  ie  500 in   out 70 fuel, 30 equipment  total   out 100   so this leave 400  take off 25% tax  leaves 300 wages for you

[Tom White]

a lot of the accountant try to big up there job so they can charge you more

I agree.  The more complex they can make it sound, if you swallow it, the better customer you're going to make for them.

[mikecam]

Ive been doing most of it right except Ive not been giving receipts to the customers apparantly the taxman wants to see receipts passed to customers .... my daily cash book not good enough

Anyone else give receipts to private customers ?

Don't take my advice as gospel, but....i believe there is no legal requirement for receipts. I'm sure the taxman might like to see some but you don't have to start giving receipts out because he wants you to. Your cash book and accompanying record sheets should be proof enough.
 Many car washes/vending machines do not give receipts either.

[wpclean]

Use window cleaner pro software it will keep up to date records for taxman .
It also organises your round brilliantly 

[Jimmy1]

I use george for my records,  my accountant has never mentioned reciepts and this will be my third year with him. I only invoice commercial customers. It would be a complete waste of my time not to mention extra cost to issue reciepts to residential clients who would only bin them anyway. I think Tosh is correct in saying there is no legal requirement.

[richard jagger]

These accountents all try the same crap. First fill you with fear of a tax investigation then tell you how they can keep you safe from all your fears.Fear is a great salesman.

[Dougaldum]

The only time you need to give a receipt to customers is when you're vat registered or if you're doing commercial work. to declare the vat. I know because my mate was vat registered and it was a pain because the customers didn't like paying vat.

[Smudger]

Sounds like the accountant is justifying a very large bill !!!

well look mr w/c i had to spend 24 hrs @ £50.00 ph  double checking your reciepts.....


KIS!

Keep it simple.

have a record of your custy's, dates cleaned and price.

Darran

[Ian Lancaster]

Same as most other replies:

YOU DON'T HAVE TO GIVE RECEIPTS

I've been in this business for over 40 years - never had an accountant tell me I should have been giving out receipts.

[geefree]

Especially if they pay online,... how complicated!

[gewindows]

Get another accountant.

[Clive McDonald]

Same as most other replies:

YOU DON'T HAVE TO GIVE RECEIPTS

I've been in this business for over 40 years - never had an accountant tell me I should have been giving out receipts.

Reading what he said- that he explained how tax invetigations work- the accountant might have been giving him the belt and braces approach.Unless you know otherwise it doesn't work how you think it does.They ask lots of questions of how you run your business, and they understand it as well as you within a short time, and then they drill down a little deeper given that you have already told them how you do things.

They are pretty much a law unto themselves and are very good at what they do.Your only and best defence is good record keeping- and the best person to tell you how to do that is probably an accountant.

If you were asked, how do you account for cash? , and answered i stick in my pocket,put it in the drawer at home later,and then it's there for when i need it.This wouldn't play as well as, i have a receipt book and record customers paying me.

[darren clarke]

the tax man can only go off what u put on ur tax return,  if you say you earn 200 a week and have proof u only earn 200 a week  there is nothing he can do  exceot take your work for it,   if you fiel a tax return saying you only have 5000 a year, but are claiming for 2 new vans  he will look at it,

if in any doubt ask the tax office

remember you pay an accountant but he works for HMRC

[Dave Willis]

I wonder what triggers a tax investigation?
A phonecall from a neighbour? Large amounts of tax credits? Sudden drop in earnings?
What?

[Sean Dyer]

surely using a software record keeper like wc pro or george is enough!!

i never get a reciept for payments to my phone company! just an invoice

so its ridiculous, what if you did give reciepts they dont know about the ones you dont do still?? it makes no sense

[gordonswindows]

Everyone is to receive a tax audit as a minimum every seven years

This is our tenth year and our first audit (investigation) began last year and is only now coming to an end

We have received a bill from taxman

He already has an idea of what I and you and everyone else earns,they have a chart that gives a minimum and maximum they have been doing it a lot longer than any of us. Even which accountant you use can trigger an investigation, we have an infamous one in our area that claims "he will never let you pay tax" yet he has the highest percentage of investigations with settlement figures as high as £59,000 and that was for a four year check on a sole trader with only six years trading

Do your work,declare your income pay your taxes and live as you want. There is no point in "hiding" what you earn because you won't be able to spend it, you can't buy a car with readies over a few grand, every time you go abroad your passport reports your movements and you can't hide the money in your kids bank

Honestly just declare it all then drive what you want buy what you want live how you want, oh yes the taxman doesn't come on his own he brings the vatman the paye lady along with the immigration and benefit people. They used to operate as separate departments that competed to recover the most money for he government but no longer. They share ALL information with each other and all recover a bit each.

Thankfully we were only left with the taxman as everyone else was satisfied we ran our business legally above board and rather well, the tax bill is next to nothing and is only for silly discrepancies our bookkeeper at the time missed (don't have a bookkeeper,employ an expensive qualified CA after all his bill is deductible) we would never have coped without the excellent guidance and support our accountant provided, imagine if hey turn up at your house.

The statement of the taxman can only go by what you put on your tax return is a bit naive, it is not a RETURN it is a claim which means it needs to be checked clarified and agreed and anyway as I said earlier he knows better than you what you should be claiming



 

[darren clarke]

by that statement i meant when u file a tax return saying you earn 10 g  he goes off that  he cant say no u dont as other wc earn 30 g a year, but if you dont file a tax return then he will get some ones else and use that as a blue print for your business