Interesting thread, folks. I'm always interested in this stuff as I am going down the CPL/FI(R) route and will be self employed, most probably as a sole trader, but have very limited knowledge of how it all works.
I had largely written off being able to claim back very much at all due to the grey area surrounding the definition of being 'self-employed' when it is likely as an FI(R) the majority or work would be coming from once source, one flying school. It's difficult to offer full-time services to two different schools at the same time, even if that amount of work was even available! So, you are, by HMRC definition, an employee, but the school sees you as a contract pilot, you invoice them monthly, but the school pays no NI on your behalf as they don't see you as an employee.
So, it is perfectly reasonable for me, as a sole trader, to have different streams of income, from employed and self-employed sources? But what happens if only one of these sources is a flying school, on this so-called 'self-employed' basis, and the others are 'factory worker' (which would be as an employee) and another similar. Still my self-employed status as an FI is in question?
Is offering a few hours a month to another flying school as a groundschool instructor, for example, enough to satisfy HMRC that I have other income as a self-employed contract pilot?