Claiming for towel washing/drying

[Silver Fern]

Question for all the self-employed geeks out there

When doing your self-employed tax return how much do you claim for washing/drying towels - do you work out how much it would cost per load and keep track? and if you do work it out, how???

Thanks in advance!

Natalya x

 

[orchid11]

Hi
My accountant I used to have recommended £3 per week for washing towels and uniforms, he had a daughter who was a hairdresser so he had an idea of what was involved. I was happy to go along with that as hadn't even thought of claiming for washing!

 

[MinxyMoo]

Ooo thanks for that as I hadn't either and it does mount up over the year. x

 

[L@iney]

I would never have thought about this either!!!!

 

[SJK]

You can claim for almost any expense related to your business. To work out how much you should be claiming for washing and drying - it's important to work out your own figure because you could be doing much more than someone else who is claiming a certain amount - you need to know how many loads of washing you are doing.

One you know how many loads of washing you are doing, you need to estimate how much it costs to run your machine per cycle. The internet is a good place to look for this.

You should also factor in the cost of detergent. You could buy separate supplies for your business, or you could keep a record of how much detergent you use (easier if you are using the tablets) and fraction the cost for your business.

 

[smooth]

It's easier if you use a laundy place as they wash and dry for you and you can claim the exact amount as you will get a receipt. Our local one charges £5 per bag which I thought was a good amount so we just used to take ours to them. Now though we are just medical and everything is disposable.

HTH

 

[trozzina]

Hi,

£3 a week doesn't sound very much. As SJK says, you need to factor in everything and that's your water, electricity, detergent, space for drying & use of machine.

It obviously depends how much you're doing but I'd imagine that £3 is probably only about one load.

I've moved all my laundry to the business premises so it's all separate now but previously my accountant factored in an amount that was appropriate to how much I was doing. If you have one why not ask him/her what they think?

There's so much that we forget to claim because we just take it all in our stride and get on with it...

 

[TheBack&Beyond]

or if you're feeling really pernickety- go here; Top recommended energy efficient Washing Machines at Currys, Comet, Dixons, John Lewis

Look up your machines and get the cost per load that they calculate, then add the total litres of water used per load cost.

Say Washing was 20p and drying was 75p per load - add 70 litres of water and drainage at 10p (???), 10p of detergent and 10p of fabric softener.

All adds up to costing you £1.25 per load washed and dried. I suppose you could also factor in depreciation on the machines (total cost £500 / 156 weeks = £3.21 per week).

I'd say one fairly busy therapist who only uses washable towels would generate at least one load a day. Sooo, £6 days @ £1.15 = £7.50 + £3.21 = £10.71 per week x 48 (52 less holidays etc) = £514.08 a year. Quite a shocker really!

hth? J.

 

[Martin Duffy]

I generate at least one load of washing a day, and mine worked out at nearly £3 a load (including tumble drying), which is still cheaper than what some laundries wanted to charge me!!

 

[stirthemud]

Me too! I have been putting mine through my books at the advice of the Accountant at £60 a month, I sometimes do several loads a day as I do Massage and its clean towel sets for EVERY Client.kx

 

[Silver Fern]

Thanks everyone - I think I'm going to go with an average of approx £3 per load and keep a tally of how many loads I am doing.
With massage of course one client having full body can generate a wash whereas when I'm doing nails I use far less!!
I'm going to have a natter with my new accountant too and see what he says.
Feels very grown-up having an accountant!!!

 

[crystaltash]

How would you prove this to the taxman though? You don't have receipts when doing your own washing, so is keeping a record just as good?