Is it deductible? Both verdicts, side by side.
The expenses British freelancers and expats in Spain actually ask about, answered under both HMRC and Hacienda rules — with the evidence each side expects you to keep. General information, not tax advice: your gestor has the final word.
Whether a laptop is deductible as a UK sole trader and as a Spanish autónomo: capital allowances, amortization, mixed personal use, and the paperwork each tax office expects.
Deducting a mobile phone bill as a UK sole trader (business proportion) vs as a Spanish autónomo, where Hacienda expects a dedicated business line.
Home office deductions for UK sole traders (flat rate or proportion) and Spanish autónomos (the 30% utilities rule, declared m² and the rent problem), side by side.
Car and fuel deductions compared: UK mileage rates for sole traders vs Spain's exclusivity rule that blocks most autónomos from deducting passenger cars for IRPF.
Client entertaining is not allowable for UK sole traders, while Spain allows atenciones a clientes capped at 1% of turnover. The rules, the cap and the paperwork.
Subsistence rules for UK sole traders vs Spain's dietas for autónomos: the €26.67/day limit, the electronic-payment condition, and when your own food is deductible.
Private health insurance is not allowable for UK sole traders, but Spanish autónomos can deduct up to €500 per family member. The conditions and limits.
Coworking membership is one of the cleanest deductions on both sides — allowable for UK sole traders and deductible for Spanish autónomos with a proper factura.
SaaS and software subscriptions — Adobe, GitHub, hosting, accounting tools — are deductible for UK sole traders and Spanish autónomos. What to keep, and the foreign-VAT wrinkle.
UK rules distinguish updating existing skills (allowable) from learning a new trade (not). Spain deducts training related to your activity. The line, with examples.
When flights between Spain and the UK are deductible business travel — client visits, conferences — and when family trips disqualify them. Both tax offices' view.
Ordinary clothing is not deductible in the UK or Spain, even for client-facing work. The exceptions: protective gear, uniforms and branded workwear.
The Spanish autónomo quota is fully deductible against IRPF; UK Class 2 and Class 4 National Insurance are not deductible from trading profits. An asymmetry worth knowing.
Glasses and eye tests are generally not deductible for UK sole traders or Spanish autónomos, despite screen-heavy work. Why, and the narrow exceptions.
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