As a self-employed dog walker, or just anyone self-employed, you might want to separate your work life from your home life and getting a second mobile phone purely for business is one step towards doing that.
Table of Contents
Is a second business phone an allowable expense?
If you have a limited company then you can claim the full cost of the phone, contract and monthly bills as long as it’s registered in your company’s name and the payments come from the company bank accounts.
As a sole trader, you can claim the full costs of a second phone, including the VAT if you are VAT registered.
You can find more information on allowable expenses here on the HMRC website.
Pros and cons
Cons
You can’t reduce the costs of your personal phone
If you’re a sole trader (not a limited company) then the main con of having a second phone is that you won’t be able to reduce your overheads by claiming anything for your personal phone.
For example, if you have a personal contract for £50 per month, and you use your phone 50% business and 50% personal then you can claim 50% of the monthly cost as an expense through the business.
In real terms, this reduces your tax liability by £25 per month and saves you around £5 per month on your tax bill (assuming an approximate 20% income tax rate)
Camera Quality
Another con is that you’re likely to have a lower-quality camera on a second phone that you buy for your business.
For most self-employed professionals this might not be a deal-breaker but for the professional dog walker, taking photos is a big part of customer satisfaction and marketing your business online.
Pros
It’s an allowable expense
It is 100% an allowable expense as you’re buying it and using it purely for your business. Therefore, both your purchase and monthly costs can be claimed along with any insurance or additional add-ons such as hands-free kits for your vehicle.
You can turn it off
Despite your website and social media accounts all detailing your opening times and availability, someone will call or text outside of these times and it’s really difficult to ignore.
Having a second phone which you can turn off out of hours removes all temptation to answer and sets clear working boundaries.
Having these clear boundaries will benefit you, your family and your clients (once your clients get used to it!). After all, you wouldn’t expect your plumber to answer his phone at 9 pm but for some reason, the expectations placed on workers within the pet industry seem to be beyond what seems reasonable to others.
You can give it to someone else
If your business has employees, or you have a trusted colleague who covers your work during holidays, having a second phone makes it easy to pass to them and take care of your calls and texts during your time off.
Mistakes
It stops you from accidentally sending a personal message to a client (trust me, it happens…)
Where can I buy a really cheap second phone?
The cheapest 4g mobile phone with a camera over 20 megapixels on Amazon at the time of writing (June 2022) is this one at a little over £49.
If you own a camera and just want a second phone for calls and texts then this cheap and cheerful 4g one might be just the job at just £11.
But what about a sim card?
I would recommend from personal experience either Smarty (running on the ‘Three’ network) or Giffgaff (Running on the ‘O2’ network).
You can check which has the best coverage for your area by using this website here.
Not only are they both incredibly reasonably priced with their cheapest sim-only deals at £6 per month, but they’re also reliable, with no hassle, no contract and no credit checks.
The £6 deal offers unlimited calls and texts from both providers but Smarty has the edge by also including 4Gb of data compared to Giffgaff’s offering of 1gb.
TOP TIP:
If you’re using your phone to take pics, don’t upload them to your social media accounts or send them to customers until you’re on wifi and save your data allowance.
If you have customers who prefer to get a report on their dog as soon as you drop them off (we’ve all got those customers who worry otherwise!) then just ask for their wifi password and send them a pic when you’ve dropped their dog off at home.
TLDR: Should you get a second phone for work? Absolutely yes!
Click to read our full guide on How to Start a Successful Dog Walking Business in 2022
Pros of having a second phone purely for business as a sole trader:
- Professionalism: Having a separate phone for your business gives you a professional image and separates your work life from your personal life.
- Work-life balance: It allows you to turn off your business phone during your personal time, creating a clear separation between work and personal life.
- Organization: Keeping business-related communications and information separate from personal ones can make it easier to stay organized.
- Security: Using a separate phone for business purposes can protect your personal information and prevent it from being accidentally shared with clients or business associates.
- Tax deductions: A second phone used exclusively for business can be considered a business expense and potentially tax-deductible.
Cons of having a second phone purely for business as a sole trader:
- Cost: Having a second phone and paying for a separate plan can be an additional expense that may not be necessary for some businesses.
- Convenience: Juggling two phones can be inconvenient and cumbersome, especially if you need to carry both phones with you at all times.
- Distractions: Having a separate business phone can create additional distractions and interruptions during personal time, even if it is turned off.
- Separation anxiety: Being disconnected from your business phone may make you feel like you are missing out on important opportunities or messages.
- Compatibility issues: Some business-related apps and software may not work on all phone models, which could create compatibility issues if you are using two different phones for work and personal use.
AFFILIATE DISCLAIMER
The dog walking coach website is supported by our visitors. Some of the product links on this website are through affiliate schemes such as Amazon. This means that I earn a small commission if you choose to purchase something at no extra cost to yourself.