You're working from home. It's 9 AM. You make coffee. That coffee costs money. And your company can pay for a portion of it. Did you know that you can deduct your canteen expenses through your company?

Sounds almost too simple. But that's allowed!

When you work from home, you incur costs that you would also incur if you were at an office. Coffee for yourself and your visitors. Water, soft drinks, fruit on the table. Biscuits during an (online) meeting. And yes, even that toilet paper at your workplace, cleaning products, kitchen roll, dishwasher tablets. These are canteen costs — or desk costs, depending on who you ask — and they are deductible as professional expenses for your company.

What exactly does that cover?

Everything that you consume in the context of your professional activity: coffee, tea, milk, sugar, biscuits, water, soft drinks, fruit — but also the consumables that belong to a workplace: soap, cleaning products, kitchen roll, toilet paper, dishwasher tablets.

It's not about large sums of money. But they are costs you incur anyway. The only difference is: who pays them? You privately, or your company?

How do you arrange that in practice?

Simple. Most supermarkets and department stores offer a invoice card You apply for it in the name of your company, link it to your business account, and shop perhaps once a month. You fill your trolley with what you need professionally, pay with your company account, and the invoice neatly arrives via Peppol in your accounting system.

The circle is round. Without fuss.

But how do I distinguish it from private?

That is, of course, the question! Because you don't just buy those products for your office – you use them at home too. So it's a mixed bag: partly professional, partly private.

You consciously make separate professional purchases: one invoice for your company, for the products you consume during your working hours. What you buy privately, you simply keep separate – via a different receipt or a different shopping basket.

Do you want to keep it completely watertight? Keep track of your private purchases as proof. Then, in case of a check, you can show that you do indeed make a distinction.

Am I exaggerating?

You won't be doing anyone any favours that way. No half-household carts in the company accounts. No private stock accidentally paid for through the business. The logic is: what do you actually consume during your workday, for yourself and for your clients? That's what you claim.

What does it yield?

The costs reduce the taxable profit of your company. Smaller amounts, yes. But it's your money. And if you're buying all those products anyway, there's no reason to pay for them out of your own pocket when you have a company for it.

That is the principle behind fiscal optimisation: beside The big box of tricks, Also, take every small advantage that's available. Neatly & legally.

And it starts with that coffee at 9am.