Glamorous holidays abroad, luxury watches and Friday nights out feature in HMRC’s latest list of the most outlandish expenses which customers tried to claim back on their 2014-15 Self Assessment returns. With a week to go until the 31 January deadline, HMRC is releasing the strangest expenses to ensure other customers don’t make similar claims:

1. Holiday flights to the Caribbean
2. Luxury watches as Christmas gifts for staff - from a company with no employees
3. International flights for dental treatment ahead of business meetings
4. Pet food for a Shih Tzu ‘guard dog’
5. Armani jeans as protective clothing for painter and decorator
6. Cost of regular Friday night ‘bonding sessions’ - running into thousands of pounds.
7. Underwear - for personal use
8. A garden shed for private use - plus the costs of the space it takes up in the garden
9. Betting slips
10. Caravan rental for the Easter weekend.

The expenses above were all rejected.

Ruth Owen, HMRC Director General of Customer Services, said:

“Year after year we receive a number of ludicrous expense claims, ranging from international holiday flights to expensive designer clothing, which we would never uphold. Why should the honest taxpayer pick up the bill for others? HMRC will only accept those claims which are genuine, such as legitimate travel expenses or the cost of tools for the job.