Interesting to see everybodys comments on here and difference of opinion too!
I was just interested to see roughly what you full time experienced window cleaners are spending on average. First thing i would say is that you need to be detailed with your expenditure and realistic to what you actually spend and don't miss anything out.
Here is a breakdown of my plan of expenditure this year, or when i decide to upgrade my equipment and aim to go full time.
PLEASE NOTE - THIS ISN'T 100% ACCURATE JUST A ROUGH PLAN SO FAR.
Monthly/Yearly
Breakdown Cover £12.50 £150
Internet + Phone £40 £480
Printing Supplies £5 £60
Van Insurance £54 £650
Fuel £80 £960
Moto Account £12 £144
DVLA Vehicle Tax £20 £240
Worldpay £10 £120
WC Equipment* £100 £1,200
Liability Insurance £15 £180
Van Maintenance £40 £480
Bank Loan £185 £2,220
(Loan for £10k for van + System over 5 years, I Don't want a cheap setup)
Total £566 £6,794
*WC Equipment is to cover Resin, Water Bill, IT, Trad Equipment and anything else Miscellaneaous.
Do you think this is too much or about average?
Lastly, how much should i be doing per week turnover wise as a one man band full time. Without a decent van setup i currently do £150 on a winters day - Trad + WFP Trolley. I'm thinking that £750 per week is manageable 4/5 days a week especially more so Spring/Summer, what do you think?
That doesn't look unreasonable in total.
A couple of minor things though: Apparently you can't offset line rental for a phone unless it's a dedicated business line. Also, you would be pushed to explain the cost of broadband, if there were a query from HMRC. In instances like this, it may be better to offset some of the call charges and a proportion of the broadband.
Likewise with the van. If you have a car as well, then 100% allowance for the van would be fine. However, if no car then maybe only offset a large proportion of the van as there is probably some personal use too. This would apply also to interest on van loan payments.
If you were ever to be the subject of an HMRC investigation, that could be the sort of thing they might pick up on.
£750 a week turnover is manageable once you have an established workload. I haven't even done that some years but have had to do more work in recent times to cover higher outgoings.
Oh for the days when I could shin up a ladder and have a very good lifestyle on £300 a week. Debt-free, but stress-free too.