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Introduction
While you consider how to create your small business home office, what should you think about as contractor limited company or small business owner? Notably, as a limited company contractor or small business owner you can consider small business work from home ideas. When working from home, small business owners will think about how best to set up their own home office. In this article, we will look into office design ideas for small business and what we should consider before we create this. As part of your UK contractor office design, you may only need a small workspace at home. Alternatively, you could have a separate dedicated room for your contracting business.
Initial thoughts
Small business work from home ideas
In addition to office space ideas for small businesses, what is the best way to create office space at home when you are UK contracting? First, as part of your home business office ideas, you will need to look at small home office layouts. As part of this you will consider where to put your contractor desk and chair. Also, as part of work from home business ideas (UK), besides your study area, what are the other considerations in terms of small business office ideas at home?
Work from home
When it comes to small business office design at home, today hundreds of thousands of people in the UK work from home. It is no surprise as it can be good for both the employer and the employee. This is due to lower costs for the employer and the employee. The benefits are flexible work at home and in the office, increased work rate, and a better work-life balance. As a result, for those with a business and no business premises, many may think about home business office ideas and wonder what they can claim. It is important to identify which are genuine business expenses when you consider how to set up an office at home.
You may have been working at home for several years or are just about to start. Therefore, having the ideal work area to perform your work-related tasks is key. This is even if you only have a small workspace at home to do this in. Therefore, as part of this guide on home business office ideas, let us also ensure we consider small business work from home ideas if you do not have a large space available.
For other valuable tips besides ideas for small home business, please read our article covering tax tips for UK contractors. This includes many handy tips and advice you should know when you have your own business. This includes our latest guidance for the best tax planning ideas.
Your small business home office when you work from home
What to think about first for your home office set up (UK)
First, when creating an office space at your home and thinking about small business work from home ideas, you should consider having a separate room for your work area or at least a dedicated floor space to work at. You could organise an open-plan office at home if you are lucky enough to have a large spare room. Some limited company contractors may also decide to look into garden offices as these can be ideal if you want a completely separate space to work in. However, please read on about some good planning ideas for your home office design (UK). Notably, some business people will do their work in their living room. However, it is better to keep your personal and work spaces separate with a separate desk & chair. This includes even when you only have a small space for your office at home.
Home office design considerations
Next, in your small spare room office ideas plan, you could think about some interior design. As part of your small office home ideas, you could leave your home decorated style as it is or investigate some small business office decorating ideas and redecorate your office to how you see fit. You will need a contractor desk area and a storage solution to keep your business records.
Home office desk
Depending on how you design your home office for small business, and when looking at computer desks, you could consider one of the following as your home office contractor desk:
- An average, free-standing desk.
- Take a look at corner desks.
- Look into a built-in desk.
Other office design ideas for small business home office
Space saving ideas
As part of your small business office ideas, you can also find more space-saving and storage ideas online such as wall-mounted shelves. There are also floating shelves and other shelving/storage ideas available. In addition, with regard to small work office design ideas there are different modern ways to store data. However, as part of your small home office ideas (UK) plan a filing cabinet and desk drawers may suffice.
Good lighting
As part of your business office design ideas, it would also be a good idea to ensure that your desk space has a window with good lighting. Alternatively, the window should be close to you to let in natural daylight. When you stare at a screen with no natural light all day, it is not suitable for your eyes. You should also avoid having a window behind you as this can cause screen glare.
A good internet connection
Another key thing to note within your home business office ideas is ensuring you have a good internet connection. This is key when you do your work from home. Should you not have a good connection, you could buy a booster. You could also have your router moved closer to your working space.
More considerations
Small business work from home ideas (UK) -what costs can you claim?
The costs you can claim will include any work-related equipment, furniture and furnishings, and electrical work.
When you are thinking about small company office design ideas for your new office at home, typically, you will first think about claiming an office desk and home office chairs. An ergonomic office chair would also be worth investing in, especially if you spend long hours at your office contractor desk. Furthermore, you could also claim for desk lamps, a bookcase, a filing cabinet, and other work-related office furniture for your small business home office.
If you look for a table lamp for your home office business, it may be a good idea to look up a task light as this will provide increased light in a room where there is already some light. This is useful if you may need extra light to see fine details more easily.
Small business work from home ideas -what sort of equipment can you claim?
As we consider small business work from home ideas, you can also claim for computer equipment. This will include a computer or laptop, monitor, keyboard, mouse, printer, and scanner. As part of your office design ideas for small business, you might also buy an office phone; we have another article which explain what you can claim for phone charges.
An office phone is relatively cheap to put in place. Keeping work calls separate from your calls would also be a good idea.
You can also claim a weekly allowance representing what you can claim when you use your home as an office. HMRC has a benchmark here, and this is to re-compensate you for the business use of home utility costs.
Small business home office -what costs are you not able to claim?
In contrast, you should not claim any structural building changes to your house to accommodate your office. Doing this could result in Capital Gains Tax implications for you personally. This will occur if you sell your home at a future date.
Final thoughts
As with all other expenses you claim through your business, you should ensure that you obtain receipts for any office-related costs. In this article we have highlighted small business work from home ideas and if you do work at home part time or all of the time you should ensure you claim for the business costs that you incur.
Besides working at your office at home, you may also read up on industry news when you have your office at home. You could also undertake some online training courses. Finally, you could also use your office at home to run your business website and social media updates.
Finally, if you are unsure about anything when planning for your office, please consult your contractor accountant.
Link to Contractor Advice UK group on
