Can I claim A Uniform Tax Refund if I Work In Agriculture?

Do you work in Agriculture? If so you may be due a Tax Refund?

*For the purpose of taxation, Agricultural land includes land, houses or other buildings in the UK occupied wholly or mainly for the purposes of husbandry.

Husbandry doesn’t include gardening but activities normally recognisable as farming, such as the growing of crops or the raising of farm livestock. These will all be included as acts of husbandry.

Tax Refunds For People Who Work In Agriculture

When It comes to your government tax refund, the amount of agricultural relief available is restricted to the smallest of the following 3 figures:

• Your general income after any allowable rental business losses have been deducted
• The amount of the rental business loss made in the year
• The expenditure on repairs, maintenance, insurance or management of the agricultural land

Uniform and Equipment

As a farm worker you may be able to claim tax relief on the cost of:

• repairing or replacing small tools used in your agricultural business.
• cleaning, repairing or replacing specialist clothing (for example, a uniform or safety boots used for agricultural work)

You cannot claim relief on the initial cost of buying small tools eg: hand tools and power tools, or safety clothing for work.

You can either claim:

• the actual amount you’ve spent – you’ll need to keep receipts
• an agreed fixed amount (a ‘flat rate expense’ or ‘flat rate deduction’)
• You can also claim tax relief on the full cost of substantial equipment, quite usual in agricultural work, for example a tractor or a plough. The machinery needs to be essential for your work.

Travel Expenses And Mileage

If, during your work in agriculture, you have used your own vehicle for business travel at any point during the last four years (tax years) and depending on whether or not your employer reimbursed you for that trip you may be eligible to claim back some tax. The amount will vary.

In a lot of cases, it’s the money you spend on travel that entitles you to a tax rebate. The rules surrounding tax relief say that any location you have worked at for under 24 months can count as a “temporary workplace” for tax purposes and it is this travel to temporary workplaces that is the subject of most tax refund claims.

It doesn’t matter if you are driving your own car or van or using public transport to get there. If you are spending your own money getting to and from the temporary workplace, you could qualify for a government tax refund.

Union fees and subscriptions

As an agricultural worker you can claim tax relief on fees or subscriptions you pay to approved professional organisations, but only if you have membership or it relates to your job. These could be professional subscriptions such as the NFU.

We are here to help you claim what’s rightfully yours as a tax refund from HMRC.

You cannot claim tax back on fees or subscriptions for:

• life membership subscriptions
• fees or subscriptions you haven’t paid for yourself (for example, if your employer has paid for them)

How Do I Start My Tax Refund Claim?

You should collect together as much information as possible concerning your work in agriculture and all the expenses you have incurred. Remember, you can claim expenses for up to four Tax years, even if you have since been made redundant, or changed jobs. This will not affect your current employment in any way or form.

Typical information needed to process your Security Tax refund would include:

• Copies of payslips
• Details of sites you have been located at
• Notes of equipment you specifically have purchased for work reasons
• Contract of employment
• Other information you feel could be relevant to your claim

The most important thing to remember is that the more information we have, the more chance of a bigger Tax repayment. No matter how little or irrelevant you think it might be, we could possibly make a claim for the expense.

What Are You Waiting For? Check today!

Check if you are due a Tax refund as an Healthcare worker