How to correctly claim for capital allowances
We are back with another post that will surprise you.
Are you claiming for capital allowances correctly?
You can claim capital allowances on items that you keep to use in your business - these are known as ‘plant and machinery’.
In most cases you can deduct the full cost of these items from your profits before tax using annual investment allowance (AIA).
If you’re a sole trader or partner and have an income of £150,000 or less a year, you may be able to use a simpler system called cash basis instead.
What does not count as plant and machinery
You cannot claim plant and machinery allowance on:
things you lease - you must own them
items used only for business entertainment, for example a yacht or karaoke machine
land
structures, for example bridges, roads, docks
buildings, including doors, gates, shutters, mains water and gas systems
You may be able to claim structures and buildings allowance on structures and buildings.
What counts as plant and machinery
Plant and machinery includes:
items that you keep to use in your business, including cars
costs of demolishing plant and machinery
parts of a building considered integral, known as ‘integral features’
some fixtures, for example fitted kitchens or bathroom suites
alterations to a building to install other plant and machinery - this does not include repairs
Claim repairs as business expenses if you’re a sole trader or partner - deduct from your profits as a business cost if you’re a limited company.
Integral features
Integral features are:
lifts, escalators and moving walkways
space and water heating systems
air-conditioning and air cooling systems
hot and cold water systems (but not toilet and kitchen facilities)
electrical systems, including lighting systems
external solar shading
Fixtures
You can claim for fixtures, for example:
fitted kitchens
bathroom suites
fire alarm and CCTV systems
You can claim if you rent or own the building, but only the person who bought the item can claim.
When you buy a building from a previous business owner you can only claim for integral features and fixtures that they claimed for.
You must agree the value of fixtures with the seller. If you do not you cannot claim for them. Agreeing the value also means the person selling the assets can account correctly for them.
If you let residential property
You can only claim for items in residential property if either:
you run a furnished holiday lettings business
the item is in the common parts of a residential building, for example a table in the hallway of a block of flats
Has this post been helpful? Leave us a comment if you should be claiming for something you did not know you could claim for. Need more help? Book a call with us today!