Course Details

When planning a new business venture, and preparing to launch it, a great deal of pre-trading expenditure may be incurred. But since there isn’t yet any income to set the expenditure against, there is a danger that significant tax deductions can be overlooked. In this session, we will look at how, and when, these expenses can be claimed for tax purposes, providing valuable tax relief and substantial VAT reclaims.


In this session Carl Bayley will cover the following topics:

  • What can be claimed, and when; and how do you secure tax relief?
  • How far back can you go?
  • What happens if the expenditure was not incurred by the trading entity (e.g. expenditure incurred by a director before the company was formed)
  • Capital expenditure incurred before trading commences
  • Recovering VAT on pre-registration expenditure
  • What to do if you missed a claim: can you make a late claim?


By attending this session, delegates can be confident they have secured, or will be able to secure, tax relief and VAT recovery for all eligible pre-trading expenditure


The session will be of most interest to business owners and accountants working in industry, but may also be of benefit to general practitioners, tax advisers, and accountancy students.


Course level: Intermediate

CPD Course Speaker

BSc FCA, Author and Presenter

Carl Bayley

Carl Bayley is the author of a series of plain English tax guides designed specifically for the layperson and the non-specialist (available from www.taxcafe.co.uk). His particular speciality is his ability to take the weird, complex, inexplicable world of taxation and set it out in the kind of clear, straightforward language taxpayers themselves can understand. Carl takes the same approach when speaking on taxation, a role he frequently undertakes with great enthusiasm, including his highly acclaimed annual ‘Budget Breakfast’ for the ICAEW. He has spoken on taxation on radio and television, including the BBC’s ‘It’s Your Money’ programme and BBC Radio 2’s Jeremy Vine Show. Carl is a past Chairman of the Tax Faculty of the ICAEW and former member of the Institute’s governing Council and Board. Aside from his tax books, Carl is an avid creative writer. His first novel, Trinity of Souls, was published in 2024, with his second, Destiny of Souls, following in March 2025. When he isn’t working, he takes on the equally taxing challenges of hill walking and horse riding: his Munro tally is now 106 and, while he remains a novice rider, his progress is cantering along nicely. Carl lives in the Scottish Borders, where he enjoys spending time with his partner, Linda.