What Expenses Can Freelancers Claim in the UK? (2025 Guide)
If you’re self-employed, you’re entitled to claim business expenses — and doing so correctly can significantly reduce your tax bill. Here’s what you need to know for 2025.
🔹 What Counts as a Business Expense?
An expense is claimable if it’s “wholly and exclusively” for business purposes — meaning you wouldn’t have bought it otherwise.
That includes:
- Tools you use for work (laptops, software, subscriptions)
- Office or workspace costs
- Travel and mileage for business purposes
- Marketing and website costs
- Business insurance premiums
✏️ Tip: See our Accounting Tools for UK Freelancers for apps that track your expenses automatically.
🔹 Examples of Allowable Expenses
THere’s a breakdown of typical expenses freelancers in the UK can claim:
🏠 Home Office Expenses
If you work from home:
- A flat rate (based on hours per month)
- Or a proportion of your rent, bills, internet
🧰 Equipment & Tools
- Laptops, printers, phones
- Software (like Invoicing Tools, design tools, project management apps)
🚗 Travel & Mileage
- Car mileage (45p/mile for the first 10,000 miles)
- Train or bus fares to client meetings
- Parking and congestion charges
📢 Marketing
- Website hosting and domain
- Paid ads, email tools, business cards
💼 Insurance & Professional Fees
- Accountant or legal advice fees
- Freelancer insurance
✅ Not sure if you need an accountant? Read: Do Freelancers Need an Accountant?
🔹 What You Can’t Claim
- Everyday clothes (unless branded uniform)
- Travel to and from a regular workplace
- Personal expenses, even if used during work hours (e.g. Netflix, groceries)
🧾 How to Track Your Expenses
You’ll need to record every claimable expense and keep receipts in case HMRC asks for evidence. You can use:
- Google Sheets or Excel
- A simple app like QuickBooks Self-Employed
- Or see more options in the Toolkit
📅 When to Claim
You report expenses annually on your Self Assessment tax return.
For details on that, read: Self-Employed Tax Guide
✅ Final Thoughts
Claiming your freelancer expenses isn’t shady — it’s smart. The more accurately you track and report, the more you keep in your pocket.