Brainstorming & Workshop as sole Director - Allowable expense?

Hi there, In order to expand my business, I would like to organise workshop sessions outside of my usual working setup in order to boost my productivity and come up with new expansion ideas for my business. Just like a business would do when they organise off-sites with their team. (I'm the only employee of my limited company) I was wondering if this was considered an allowable tax deductible expense if I decide to go to the countryside specifically to work on new ways to expand my business, have workshops to brainstorm on new ideas etc. I would keep a record of what project I've worked on during this offsite. Could you confirm it is correct to think it is deductible? Many thanks

Hi AndreaM,

Professional development expenses can be claimed for purchases you make that help you improve your skills or knowledge. There are two categories here:
Training courses
Any class or training course that you take to enhance the skills and knowledge that you use in your business falls under the category of personal development and the full cost can be claimed as an allowable expense.
However, the course or class must be related to your trading activity and not used as a way to offer a different service or expand into a new market.

Professional subscriptions
Subscriptions to professional organisations, trade publications or journals that benefit your business can be claimed so long as they are directly relevant to your industry and work. 
In the case of professional organisations, these must be included in HMRC’s list of approved professional bodies.

Thank you.