Morning guys & girls,I haven’t been on here for a while as I stopped driving in 2010 & started my own business doing tyres,mot”s & general repairs,after 12 years of that I sold up & semi retired.
So now I’m doing a few days driving every week just for something to do (yes some may say I must be mad 
)
Anyway I set myself up a limited company & was wondering if I need to get a card reader to keep a check on my hours as sometimes I might do say Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday & the Saturday & Sunday so I need to keep a eye on my weekly rest periods,the week days driving is only usually around 3 hours 20 minutes per day as I only do one run for a local company,I start around 15.00 & finish around 19.00-20.00.Weekend work is usually 07.00 to18.00-19.00.
I’m not sure wether I need to keep tacho records on computer or just keep the daily printouts for 28 days.
But to be honest I’d like to get a card reader to keep a eye on things & can anyone recommend one plus the software,I don’t need anything expensive as it’s only for myself.TIA.
How does your employer download your card? Do you have access to their records?
What do you mean you setup a company? [emoji44][emoji44][emoji44]
stu675:
How does your employer download your card? Do you have access to their records?
Yes the companies I drive for download my card.
stu675:
What do you mean you setup a company? [emoji44][emoji44][emoji44]
I’m not self employed,my accountant set up a limited company for me & I drive for different companies.
164480:
stu675:
How does your employer download your card? Do you have access to their records?Yes the companies I drive for download my card.
Ok, in my case I have access to my employer’s records from downloading my card. I thought that would be the easiest solution, but since you’ve qualified that you have multiple places that you drive for I’ll have to leave you in the hands of all the other replies. [emoji106]
164480:
stu675:
What do you mean you setup a company? [emoji44][emoji44][emoji44]I’m not self employed,my accountant set up a limited company for me & I drive for different companies.
Ok, your mention of “I only do one run for a local company” did not come across as that.
stu675:
164480:
stu675:
What do you mean you setup a company? [emoji44][emoji44][emoji44]I’m not self employed,my accountant set up a limited company for me & I drive for different companies.
Ok, your mention of “I only do one run for a local company” did not come across as that.
Sorry I meant to say,I work for one company 3 days in week but I never know which 3 & work for a different company at the weekend.The one in the week could be like Tuesday,Wednesday & Thursday,so it’s the weekly rest I need to keep a eye on really.
Why not just keep a diary. Start time, finish time hours driven etc.
Have you checked out this thread?
trucknetuk.com/phpBB/viewto … d#p2871853
“Employees
The First-Tier Tribunal (Tax) has considered the employment status of drivers. Her Majesty’s Revenue & Customs (‘HMRC’) raised concerns that haulage operators were wrongly treating workers as self-employed or hiring workers through their own companies in ways that did not comply with tax laws. It is now well understood that it will be rare for someone to be genuinely self-employed unless they are an owner-driver. HMRC is aware that some companies wrongly believe that anti-avoidance legislation does not apply and that HMRC cannot pursue workers, agents and their companies.”
Are you sure that you are not really an employee of 2 different companies?
If your accountant has got anything wrong, who pays the bill?
trucken:
Why not just keep a diary. Start time, finish time hours driven etc.
Can the 45 hours break be split,like yesterday I finished at 20.15 & im not starting till around 7am Saturday =34hours 34 minutes & I’ll probably finish around 17.00-18.00 Sunday & not start again till 15.00 on Tuesday,or do I take a full 45 week 3…?
Franglais:
Have you checked out this thread?trucknetuk.com/phpBB/viewto … d#p2871853
“Employees
The First-Tier Tribunal (Tax) has considered the employment status of drivers. Her Majesty’s Revenue & Customs (‘HMRC’) raised concerns that haulage operators were wrongly treating workers as self-employed or hiring workers through their own companies in ways that did not comply with tax laws. It is now well understood that it will be rare for someone to be genuinely self-employed unless they are an owner-driver. HMRC is aware that some companies wrongly believe that anti-avoidance legislation does not apply and that HMRC cannot pursue workers, agents and their companies.”Are you sure that you are not really an employee of 2 different companies?
I’m not self employed,I work for the limited company my accountant set up,when I invoice the company I work for,I just put supply driver for how ever how many hours worked per day,I still pay tax through the company I’m the director of.
If your accountant has got anything wrong, who pays the bill?
164480:
trucken:
Why not just keep a diary. Start time, finish time hours driven etc.Can the 45 hours break be split,like yesterday I finished at 20.15 & im not starting till around 7am Saturday =34hours 34 minutes & I’ll probably finish around 17.00-18.00 Sunday & not start again till 15.00 on Tuesday,or do I take a full 45 week 3…?
Short answer : No.
“There must be an unbroken rest period of 45 hours every week - you can reduce this to 24 hours every other week.”
gov.uk/drivers-hours/eu-rules
If you have, for example, two 36 hr rests every week, you are well over the 45 hrs required weekly, but there is no unbroken 45 hrs.
Can`t do that every week.
Ed. Finishing 15hr00 Sunday and starting 15hr00 Tues is 48hrs so doing that is legal.
Franglais:
164480:
trucken:
Why not just keep a diary. Start time, finish time hours driven etc.Can the 45 hours break be split,like yesterday I finished at 20.15 & im not starting till around 7am Saturday =34hours 34 minutes & I’ll probably finish around 17.00-18.00 Sunday & not start again till 15.00 on Tuesday,or do I take a full 45 week 3…?
Short answer : No.
“There must be an unbroken rest period of 45 hours every week - you can reduce this to 24 hours every other week.”
gov.uk/drivers-hours/eu-rulesIf you have, for example, two 36 hr rests every week, you are well over the 45 hrs required weekly, but there is no unbroken 45 hrs.
Can`t do that every week.Ed. Finishing 15hr00 Sunday and starting 15hr00 Tues is 48hrs so doing that is legal.
Thanks,that will do me then,I’ll probably finish on Sunday at 6pm ish & start Tuesday 15.00 ish & that gives me my 45,I must have had a miss calculation on time,I was thinking if i finish at 6pm Sunday my 45 takes me to 6pm tues but that’s 48hour 
164480:
stu675:
What do you mean you setup a company? [emoji44][emoji44][emoji44]I’m not self employed,my accountant set up a limited company for me & I drive for different companies.
You didn’t need to set up as a Ltd Company. In fact that actually works against you. As a Limited Company you come under IR35 rules and because of that most firms are reluctant to hire self employed drivers who trade as Ltd as it opens them up to liability under IR35. As a sole trader you wouldn’t come under it so it wouldn’t be an issue.
Might want to consider getting another accountant if their first automatic reaction was to open up a Ltd Company for you. They’ve done that for their own benefit, not yours.
a card reader is 8 quid on Amazon, there’s free to download software on the internet
the subject addressed on previous reply should concern you far more
.
_JD:
the subject addressed on previous reply should concern you far more
.
Agreed. If OP didn’t have over 800 posts I would have assumed this was just a troll as it’s been discussed so much recently.
But sticking just to the card downloading question, easiest thing is to pay a compliance company to look after this for you, costs about £1 per week. Drop by anytime is convenient (assuming office hours and the odd Saturday) and dip the card, which on a monthly basis will be analysed and a report emailed to you.
Conor:
164480:
stu675:
What do you mean you setup a company? [emoji44][emoji44][emoji44]I’m not self employed,my accountant set up a limited company for me & I drive for different companies.
You didn’t need to set up as a Ltd Company. In fact that actually works against you. As a Limited Company you come under IR35 rules and because of that most firms are reluctant to hire self employed drivers who trade as Ltd as it opens them up to liability under IR35. As a sole trader you wouldn’t come under it so it wouldn’t be an issue.
Might want to consider getting another accountant if their first automatic reaction was to open up a Ltd Company for you. They’ve done that for their own benefit, not yours.
It must have changed then Conor as I remember working for a local to you tipper firm who had 2 self employed drivers & me as Ltd,HMRC visited them & the company owner had to pay back tax & NI for the 2 that were self employed & didn’t do anything about me as I was Ltd.
dynamic reply
Zac_A:
_JD:
the subject addressed on previous reply should concern you far more
.Agreed. If OP didn’t have over 800 posts I would have assumed this was just a troll as it’s been discussed so much recently.
But sticking just to the card downloading question, easiest thing is to pay a compliance company to look after this for you, costs about £1 per week. Drop by anytime is convenient (assuming office hours and the odd Saturday) and dip the card, which on a monthly basis will be analysed and a report emailed to you.
But the card reader is only about £20 and the software is about £10 I think, can’t remember, might be less.
Saves a lot of hassel having one as the data is always available to you