Can I claim expenses from before I started trading?

Can I claim expenses from before I started trading? Usually, yes. In 2026-27, running costs you paid up to 7 years before you started trading count as paid on your first day, if they would have been allowable then. Tools and vans follow their own rules. Up to 7 years before the day you started trading. Running costs from within that window are treated as if you paid them on your first day, as long as they would have been allowable once you were trading. No. HMRC's manual says they are treated as paid on the day you start, so they go into the profit or loss for your first tax year along with your other expenses. Usually not. GOV.UK says training that gives you new skills to start a business that does not exist yet is not an allowable expense. Courses that update skills for a trade you already run usually are. Read the full answer, with every source, at rightotax.co.uk.