Glossary

Allowable expenses

Allowable expenses are genuine business costs incurred wholly and exclusively for the trade — deductible against taxable profit, unlike disallowable ones.

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Wholly &exclusively
Reducetaxable profit

Definition

Allowable expenses are business costs incurred wholly and exclusively for the trade that can be deducted when calculating taxable profit — the opposite of disallowable expenses.

In plain terms

These are the genuine business costs the taxman lets you deduct. The test is whether they were incurred purely for the business — private or dual-purpose spending is often restricted or disallowed.

Why it matters for your company

Capturing every allowable expense reduces your tax bill legitimately, while wrongly claiming disallowable ones invites trouble. Good bookkeeping ensures you claim what you should and no more.

Funding for UK limited companies

Credicorp lends to your company, not to you personally — short-term working capital with no personal guarantee. See what your business could access.