'Working from Home' - How do you charge your company for Telephone/Broadband?

[Fab Foodie]

Our office closes at the end of the month.
2 of us become 'Home-based' and hence will need to use telephony and broadband in order to function.

There seems to be some confusion here (HR/IT and everybody else) on how best to achieve this.

Both of us already have BT home-phones and domestic broadband.
We'll need second lines for business use and a way to bill the broad-band useage.

Neither of us want 2 seperate BT and Broadband systems if necessary.

In the distant past I have added the 2nd line and transferred the Broadband to that and billed it to the company as 1 package. Any reason why I cannot do that now?

Another question... a lot of these BT packages have unlimited calls. What are peoples views of using that facility for family calls? After-all it is not costing the company. At the same time us homeworkers will be incurring extra costs for heating/lighting etc.

There may be more questions later.

But basically you 'based at homeworkers' how do you organise, bill and use these things?

Cheers FF.

 

[2Loose]

Some companies offer a stipend to go towards your usual broadband costs if they don't want to pay for another broadband line.

In my case I'll pay for broadband for myself anyway, so using it for work costs nothing extra to me. But work kindly agreed to pay half of that cost so that can if required use it for work. Btw, I suggested the 50% charge to them when they discussed putting an extra line in, this way we both pay less than we would otherwise.

The biggest problem with this method is security at the work side, but we cover this by using a remote desktop environment (Citrix) so in effect I am really using a secure works computer once connected.

 

[ChrisKH]

Depends. Are you going to be treated as self-employed or employed individuals who work from home?

It can make a difference.

 

[MacB]

I've always kept the one broadband connection, work originally paid all of this but was changed to 50% a few years back. Our home setup has been NTL/Virgin for years, phone/tv/broadband, but I always use a seperate computer for work. I used to have a seperate BT line for work phone/fax but then we moved all of that to online so VOIP stuff. Now just have a headset that plugs into laptop/pc/docking station and make/receive calls via computer, does mean computer needs to be on though. But throw in a mobile as well and that's not a concern, my calls just go to whichever phone I've designated.

I don't have any experience of using remote access via you own computer but would imagine it's pretty similar to the VPN(virtual private network) we used anyway. Just requires software to be on the machine and you need to log in to gain access.

 

[ChrisKH]

Assuming you're employed, from a tax perspective and whilst it may seem wasteful, it's probably best to have separate lines and broadbands for a number of reasons:-

1) The first is that if it's a separate line and facility, you can use one exclusively for business purposes and there's no question of private usage. Invoicing is direct to the company and no expense claim need be submitted periodically as the company pays the invoice direct.

2) The cost can be separately identified for the purposes of created a suitable entry in the company's PAYE dispensation agreement. This is the agreement that the company has with HM Revenue and Customs to dispense with the need for certain costs from being entered on form P11d. If the company doesn't attend to this aspect, they will be forced to input the cost on your form P11d and this will force you to make a claim for this as a business expense. Far easier to get a dispensation in the first place and you don't run the risk of the expense being rejected as a business expense and taxed on you privately.

If cost is an issue to the company, you can if it is managed properly get a dispensation for an agreed amount of personal phone/broadband costs but this is tricky if you don't know what you are doing and it can always be challenged by the Inland Robbery. You can also find youself having to keep records of private and business calls and time spent on the computer, which if nothing else, is a pain in the arse. My personal view is, that private use of company assets should be avoided even if it incurs no extra cost to the company as it can be argued that a proportion of the cost to the company was of benefit to you (and is therefore taxable on you.).

That's my view. Hope it's helpful.

 

[Fab Foodie]

Depends. Are you going to be treated as self-employed or employed individuals who work from home?

It can make a difference.

We'll be doing the bold thing.

 

[MacB]

We'll be doing the bold thing.

Negotiate a small pay rise and then just use your own broadband, the company can lay on a mobile(assuming they haven't already), just make sure you get a signal at home.

 

[meenaghman]

It does bring up one privacy problem if you have your own landline and not got a virtual office number (ie a call manager or pbx number you can route to your phone)
Otherwise people in the organisation know your home phone number, and if its a worldwide organisation this can result in calls at all times of the day/night (speaking from experience with my private mobile phone number which I inadvertently disclosed to someone in the company) In my case I have an office number thats routed through to my home number. I can also use the routing another way..-reroute my office number to an international number I wish to call using a web application, and make a local call (free with my broadband / call deal) provided its less than an hr.. and in this way I don't pay phone costs. I can also re-route my virtual number to my mobile should I be out and about.

 

[Fab Foodie]

Negotiate a small pay rise and then just use your own broadband, the company can lay on a mobile(assuming they haven't already), just make sure you get a signal at home.

Hi MacB

I already have BT Broadband at home, and used to have a separate business line in my office which I cancelled when I changed jobs. In my earlier employ with a small company it was easy to simply get them to pay for the lot, in mega-corp (who seem to have no idea how to do this) it's all a bit less clear and so some 'current-practice' info from others working for other companies will be useful.

Cheeers
K.

 

[jay clock]

I work for a big co, fully based from home.

We did have two lines, both with broadband. The work one was fully reimbursed by the company (in my name, so I paid it and reclaimed on expenses.)

I have a company mobile, but we now have VOIP (virtual phone on the PC). So company have now said they will only pay for internet, max £20 per mths, and grossed up so that it does not become a benefit in kind issue. This is paid once a year in June.

So we have cancelled one line, and now use the one broadband for everything. As we have one hour free UK calls on the home line, I use that for dialing in to a UK number for conference calls

Jay

 

[Fletch456]

In terms of a provider..if you dont want 2 BT systems...I took it to mean ok with a second provider but now think you mean wanting to have 2 lines and one bill.

Anyway will chip in with the info I was going to share.

I switched from Sky to IDNet a year ago and haven't looked back:
- small provider
- won several awards for internet service
- all 14mbps or higher - pricing on volume of usage not speed
- had to buy modem / router - better than closed box provided by Sky that I also can get into and tweak (which I didn't know how to do before - but this resolves a problem on occasions without the need to call anyone).
- no call centres - its a group of people at their desks (which you may say call centres are but you get what I mean am sure)
- NO 12mth contract
- 30 day contract so you're not tied in
- bills by email - no paper bills.
- pricing is interesting - usual free call plans for evening or anytime but also mobile phone style options of free calls for X or Y hours a month

Two engineers recommended them and no one else when I asked on a forum at moneysavingexpert.com

NB On another point look into desk and chairs - the company may be obliged to provide them to ensure VDU regulations are met. about 10 years ago a colleague had a very good et up courtesy of the company.

 

[2Loose]

...
NB On another point look into desk and chairs - the company may be obliged to provide them to ensure VDU regulations are met. about 10 years ago a colleague had a very good et up courtesy of the company.

Great point, my work insisted that I did a workstation assessment at home and got me a new chair (lovely) so that I couldn't blame them for bad back or whatever. Not sure really as the previous one had been fine for years, but I got a lovely new swivel chair so I am not complaining

 

[Danny]

We now get a homeworkers allowance which covers the costs of broadband and (theoretically) lighting and heating. I also have a broadband telephone service which provides me with an extra home line, and I negotiated with work that they would pay the costs of this.

 

[BigAndyH]

You can also get tax relief of 3.00 per week if you have to work at home, something I only found out about when I went back to working in an office!

 

[Fab Foodie]

You can also get tax relief of 3.00 per week if you have to work at home, something I only found out about when I went back to working in an office!

Wow!