Lunch allowences

lpm

Just wondering if your self employed whats the maxium you can claim for lunch per day and can you claim for dinner also.
Thanks

maddogcollins

As far as i am aware, only expenses that are "wholly and exclusivley incurred for the business" are allowable. Hence as lunch is not for the business it cannot be claimed as an expense.

The argument is a normal PAYE worker has to buy his/her own lunch and does not get an allowance for it, so why should a self employed person.

I am open to correction tho.

kabuk1

I'm not sure how that works. I know allowances are given if you travel outside a particular area by many companies. For example, I would be reimbursed for lunch by my company if I am based at a client's site outside of city centre.

Not sure how this figures in though.

crazzzzy

is it only allowable if you are away from the normal place of work? That is the way it works for travel if you are employee isn't it so the rules may be the same.

misspiggy40

Hi All.

When you are self employed you cannot give yourself a lunch or dinner allowance. You can't pay yourself mileage either. So for example, if I am self employed and I go to a trade show somewhere, I can use my actual petrol/diesel receipt and my actual hotel bill as expenses against my trade income, but I can't give myself mileage or subsistance (dinner/lunch allowance).

If I spend half that day visiting my aunty Peggy, I am not supposed to claim the expense at all because it was not 'wholly & exclusively' for the purpose of the trade. The 'wholly & exclusively' is the crux of the matter.