I tracked every expense for a year as a UK freelancer. Here's what surprised me.

TL;DR: I was leaving about £2,400/year on the table by not claiming things I was entitled to. You probably are too.

The stuff everyone claims

• Software subscriptions (GitHub, Figma, hosting)
• Hardware (laptop, monitor, keyboard)
• Phone bill (business portion)

Yeah, you know these. Moving on.

The stuff people forget

This is where it gets interesting.

Working from home allowance

HMRC's simplified expenses:

• 25-50 hours/month working from home → £10/month
• 51-100 hours → £18/month
• 101+ hours → £26/month

£26/month sounds pathetic. It is. But it's £312/year you're probably not claiming.

Or calculate actual costs (proportion of rent/mortgage interest, electricity, heating, council tax, internet). Usually works out higher. I claimed £1,200 last year on actuals.

Mileage

45p per mile for the first 10,000 miles. 25p after that.

I drive to maybe 15 client meetings a year. Average 40 miles round trip. That's 600 miles × 45p = £270. Not life-changing, but it's there.

Free mileage calculator →

Professional subscriptions

BCS membership? Claimed. ACM? Claimed. That random Udemy course on Kubernetes you bought at 2am? If it's related to your current work: claimed.

Accountant fees

Your accountant's fee is tax deductible. It's like a tiny discount on itself. Meta.

Bank charges

Business bank account fees, PayPal transaction fees, Stripe fees. All claimable.

Insurance

Professional indemnity, public liability, cyber insurance. If you're paying it to freelance, it's an expense.

What I can't claim (but tried)

• Gym membership ("it helps me think" did not convince HMRC)
• Entire phone bill (only business proportion)
• Clothes (unless literally a uniform or costume)
• Commuting to a regular workplace (that's on you)
• Lunch (sorry — eating is personal, apparently)

The maths

My total claimable expenses last year: £8,200

At 20% basic rate, that's £1,640 less tax.
At 40% higher rate, that'd be £3,280.

Before I tracked properly? I was claiming about £5,800. That £2,400 gap was pure laziness.

How to actually track this

I use a simple spreadsheet with HMRC categories. Photo every receipt. Reconcile monthly. Takes 20 minutes.

Built a free version: Business Expense Tracker — 13 HMRC categories, running totals, CSV export for your accountant.

Or if you want to know your actual tax position: Self-Employed Tax Calculator

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What's the weirdest expense you've successfully claimed? I know someone who claimed a subscription to a cocktail magazine because they were a hospitality consultant. Legend.