It’s tax season, which means many of you will be filling in your self-assessments and gearing up to pay your tax for the year. The key to tax is ensuring that you claim all of your deductible expenses in order to minimise your bill as much as possible.

However, many are unsure of what counts as an expense, which is why we thought we would provide this handy list:

Office supplies

From paper clips and pens through to printers and computers, all stationary and office equipment, including phones, that are used for genuine business reasons are tax deductible.

Protective gear

Any protective or specialist gear or clothing you buy is tax deductible. Things such as hard hats and steel toe capped boots can be claimed for.

Vehicle requirements

Your car or van insurance, repairs, servicing, fuel, parking, hire charges and breakdown membership are all tax deductible and can be offset. However, you can’t claim for parking or speeding fines or private motoring.

Internet and phone

If used to run your business, you can claim against your internet and phone bills. If you use your home broadband and personal phone, you may be able to claim a percentage as it’s not entirely for business use.

Some bank charges

If you’ve incurred any charges, such as overdraft and credit card charges, these are tax deductible and should be claimed to offset your tax.

Membership fees

If you’re required to be part of a governing body or organisation in order to complete your job, you may be able to claim against your membership fees.

Some household expenses

If you work from home, you may be able to claim a percentage of some of your household bills. You can’t offset the full amount, but even if you’re just doing your bookkeeping at home you might be able to claim at least £4 a week.

Advertising and admin fees

Any money you’ve spent on advertising your business can be offset against your tax. You can also claim against admin fees for employing accountants, solicitors, surveyors etc if it was for a genuine business purpose.

Depending on your business and requirements, there may be other things you can claim to offset your tax. It’s worth doing some research to ensure your tax bill is as low as possible.