Can I claim legal fees chasing payments as a tax deduction?

Legal and professional costs that a business incurs are allowable when they are wholly and exclusively for the purposes of the trade.

Legal fees resulting from attempting to recover bad debts are deemed to be incurred for the purpose of the trade and are therefore considered to be allowable expenditure in establishing your business profit for the year.

It should also be noted that where a bad debt relating to ordinary trade transactions with a specific customer is written off, that amount is also an allowable deduction. This contrasts with the rules for a general bad debt provision, which is not an allowable deduction for tax purposes.

So yes, the legal fees incurred in respect of that debt recovery are allowable as a deduction for tax purposes and you get an allowable deduction in the accounts for the bad debt itself, as the debt relates to a specific customer.

Collecting debts from customers can be stressful and we have lots of experience in this area, so we can discuss the best approach to take. So please contact us on 020 4502 9677 or use our simple online contact form to arrange a free initial consultation.

Date published 30 Oct 2019 | Last updated 25 May 2021

This article is intended to inform rather than advise and is based on legislation and practice at the time. Taxpayer’s circumstances do vary and if you feel that the information provided is beneficial it is important that you contact us before implementation. If you take, or do not take action as a result of reading this article, before receiving our written endorsement, we will accept no responsibility for any financial loss incurred.