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I myself run a limited company in the UK. The bank offers me a free Visa card only if I make any payments using the card. The problem is that sometimes I don't need to buy anything for the company at all, and then I'll have to pay for the card. My question is - can I pay by this card for my own stuff (I mean coffee in town, shopping, etc.), and then deduct it from my salary? I want to have the card because there are months, when I have to pay a few bills by card (for the server, domains, etc.), but I don't want to pay card fees, if I don't use it.

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3 Answers

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You should talk to a UK accountant. But what you suggest is not how things should be done in the US, and proably the UK.

It is important to have an easily identifiable paper trail that proves what are business and what are personal expenses. Deducting things from your salary obscures what is being deducted. So I would bet your accountant will not like that idea.

There are two basic ways to handle this situation.

  1. Get a business VISA card and use it only for business expenses. (Using it for both business and personal expenses, and then paying back the personal portion is frowned on in the US.)
  2. Get a personal VISA and use it to pay for both personal and business expenses. You then invoice/bill your company for the business expenses and your company writes you a check for those expenses. This gives you a nice paper trail to justify those payments.
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Thank you, Garry! I think the second option is what I need to do. I'll use my personal card to pay my company bills, and then transfer money from the company account into my own one, and keep all bills/receipts. – lukeshek Mar 2 '12 at 21:45
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Just make sure there is a matching bill/invoice for every transfer from the business to you personally. Otherwise it will look like an addition to your salary. – Gary E♦ Mar 2 '12 at 22:06
Option two is the way to go in the UK. – Steve Jones Mar 8 '12 at 10:21
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You can do, as long as your accounts balance and tax return is correct. Is it worth the complexity of keeping track for the sake of a few quid though?

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up vote 1 down vote

I reverse it, pay for everything with my personal card, get the points, and then expense all those charges to the company.

  • Disclaimer: I'm in the US and don't know if UK laws would differ here.
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That's fine in the UK. Best option really, if you want the points/cashback/airmiles – Steve Jones Mar 8 '12 at 10:20

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