Branching Out With Lewis & Co
The sun has been shining here in ‘the garden of England’ recently and, when that’s the case, there are many of us who probably think ‘wouldn’t it be nice to work outside’. Of course, that idea often passes once the rain starts to appear again.
Here at Lewis & Co, we support businesses working across many different sectors, including quite a few limited companies and sole traders who do indeed work outside – including gardeners involved with anything from mowing lawns and general maintenance, to landscape gardens and people who provide services including new driveways, patios, decking and fencing. We also have some tree surgeons on our list.
How these clients approach their work is varied. Some have been involved with gardening, for instance, for many years, while others have come to it as a side-hustle type venture, maybe during the pandemic, or have even retired from their long-time careers and are now earning some extra cash.
As with any business, it’s important to keep proper records, which can be time-consuming if you have a number of customers. While some gardeners might actually use the equipment provided by the homeowner, such as their lawnmower, others, such as tree surgeons might need to invest in quite heavy machinery.
Any smaller pieces of equipment and tools you might use within your working day can be claimed as allowance expenses. It might be that you only need some larger pieces of equipment occasionally and you can claim for renting or leasing items like this – maybe a crane or a woodchipper. When it comes to larger pieces of equipment, such as a lawn mower, then these will typically be listed as capital allowances and we can advise you on that.
If you need specialist work clothing – such as eyewear, hardhats or steel-toe capped boots – these would be included as allowable expenses.
If you are working in a garden, it’s sensible to have public liability insurance and the cost of that is typically covered as an allowable expense. You can also claim for your business mileage between clients, parking fees and vehicle repairs/maintenance.
It goes without saying that any business that is primarily based outside will face the challenges of British weather and the seasons, which will lead to cash flow variations throughout the year. At Lewis & Co, we can help you to structure a business plan that takes into account these seasonal variations.
If you work outside and would like to talk to an accountancy firm which understands your business, give us a call on: 01892 513515 or email: info@lewisandco.biz