Why Going to Real Costs has allowed me to reduce my taxes.
A tax declaration reduced by more than 3,500 euros ...
This is what I just sent back to my tax office.
And all this thanks to real costs!
Last year I started a new job more than 80 km from home. As a result, my travel expenses have exploded! So I decided to switch to the actual costs on my tax return. Concretely, this means that I waive the 10% allowance granted by the tax administration to all taxpayers, and that I need to REALLY calculate what I really spent on business expenses.
By professional expenses, taxes mean travel, of course, but also meals and everything related to your job (work clothes if you need to make specific purchases or an investment in a computer or books if you can prove that you need them for your job).
A little tedious calculations ...
I admit that the calculations are a bit daunting, with scales depending on the number of kilometers driven and the power of the car.
But after some headaches and a lot of tearing out of hair, I came up with € 2,603 that I can deduct from my taxes for my car, for a weekly return trip by road. To which I add € 600 for the SNCF subscription and € 240 for the metro in Lyon. And since I invested in a Netbook so that I could work on the train and from home, I also added the 200 euros spent on the latter.
… But who pay off!
In total, going to work last year cost me 3,643 euros ... which I will deduct from the wages earned over this period.
I note this amount in box 1BK (or 1 AK if you are the lead registrant) and attach a full and itemized list of everything I have deduced. Just to show the administration that I did not choose this amount at random.
Please note, if you opt for the actual costs, you must add all the benefits your employer gives you. If he pays you part of your SNCF subscription or reimburses you for gasoline costs, these sums must be added to your salaries.
The real costs often go by the wayside, by laziness, by ignorance of the subject. Do you calculate them to deduct them from your taxes? Tell us everything in the comments.
Savings made
If you earn 1,500 euros per month, you are normally entitled to 1,800 euros in tax relief (10% of the 18,000 € collected per year). With the real costs, you can go way beyond that. I managed to reach € 3,643, effortlessly (and especially without cheating!)
It is important to keep in mind that everything you deduce must be able to be justified. Remember to keep all your train or public transport bills (the administration can claim them from you for three years after the declaration).
For the kilometers traveled by car, you may be asked for garage invoices dated from different periods, to verify that you have actually taken your car ...
And if you work more than 40 km from your home, you will have to justify this distance: the employment of your spouse, a child in school or a precarious contract for example.
Be careful not to use the actual costs box without thinking!
Do you like this trick ? Share it with your friends on Facebook.
Also to discover:
Obtain a Partial or Total Remission of your Taxes with Article L.247 of the LPF.
Pay Less Income Tax: The 6 Tips to Know.
