If you have ever used your own money in the course of your employment, whether it be for the upkeep or replacement of your uniform or for equipment, travel expenses and petrol, then you may be entitled to a tax refund. Carry on reading to see what you could be entitled to.
Other instances which may qualify you are if:
Have you worn a uniform to work?
Paid union or subscription fees?
Issued with a non-generic emergency tax code?
Changed employment in the last 4 years?
If any of the above apply to you, there is a chance you are also eligible for a tax rebate. Click Below to see how much you may be owed.
SEE HOW MUCH YOU MAY BE OWED
Uniforms and Work Equipment
If you wear a uniform for work, and have to wash, repair or replace it yourself, you may be able to reclaim a tax refund for up to five years worth of expenses. This is the case whether it’s simply a branded T-shirt you wear or if you are a fully uniformed pilot, chef, police officer or nurse.
For the purpose of a uniform tax refund, simply a garment displaying the company logo such as a jacket or polo shirt counts as a uniform.
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Can I Claim A Uniform Tax Refund?
To be able to claim uniform tax refund, ALL of the following criteria must apply:
- You wear a recognisable uniform that shows you’ve got a certain job, such as a branded T-shirt, nurse or police uniform. Plain clothes, without a logo, which you only wear for work may even count.
- Your employer requires you to wear it while you’re working.
- You have to purchase, clean, repair or replace it yourself. You can’t claim if your employer washes your clothes or provides facilities to do so (even if you don’t use them) or pays you for doing this upkeep.
You can either claim:
- the actual amount you’ve spent – you’ll need to keep receipts
Or
- an agreed fixed amount (a ‘flat rate expense’ or ‘flat rate deduction’)
So What’s It Worth?
As a basic rule, HMRC estimates that it costs most people £60 per year to maintain their work clothes. On a basic tax rate that means you would be entitled to £12 (20% of £60) back from HMRC.
Higher rate taxpayers get their 40% tax back (£24) and other industries sometimes have different, more specific allowances. The list of jobs with their own rules (see above) is quite extensive, but tends to focus on industries with specific clothing requirements. Fire services, the NHS, certain engineering and construction jobs and many others have allowances higher than £60.
Also remember that the government’s figures won’t necessarily match what you’re actually spending each year. If you spend more than their estimates, then you’ll need to show proof (receipts, etc.) if you want to get back the full amount you’re owed.
Claim your Uniform Tax Refund today.
If you work in one of the following professionals, follow the links to learn more about a uniform tax refund specific to your sector:
One group that shouldn’t need to claim is the armed forces as the cost of maintaining their uniforms are usually dealt with via their tax code.
Union Fees/Subs
If you belong to a union for the industry in which you work and pay a membership subscription, fees, or dues, you may be able to:
- receive a union tax rebate for past years, and
- reduce the amount of tax you pay in the future by changing your tax code.
You are eligible for a union tax rebate if:
- You are a member of a professional union for your industry
- The tax office has approved the union of which you’re a member
You cannot receive a union tax relief if:
- Your union has not been approved by the tax office
- You’ve paid for a lifetime membership to a union
- Your employer pays your union membership fees (they must have paid with your own money).
The amount you are due back depends on the agreement in place between your union and the tax office. Some agreements allow tax relief on the entire fee but some only allow a percentage.
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Travel Expenses/Mileage
If you are an employee and you pay for travel expenses that are related to your job which are not reimbursed by your employer, you might be able to get tax relief on such payments.
You can claim tax relief for money for a number of things, such as:
- Petrol money
- Public Transport Costs
- Hotel Accommodation
- Food and Drink
- Congestion Charges And Tolls
- Parking Fees
- Business Calls
- Printing Costs
Travel expenses are only allowable for tax purposes if:
- You have to make the journeys in the performance of the duties of your employment (such as where the duties themselves inherently involve traveling such as a delivery driver or meter reader);
or
- They are journeys which you make to or from a place you have to attend in the performance of your duties, such as trips from your office or other work location or other ‘temporary’ workplace. This rule can also include travel directly from your home to visit a customer or to another ‘temporary’ workplace. (The word ‘temporary’ has a specific meaning in tax law, and typically applies when you are required to do any work in another location for a temporary purpose, as part of your ‘core’ employment).
Work from home expenses
You might be able to claim a working from home expenses tax refund if your contract of employment requires you to work from home as opposed to when working at home is optional.
What Can I Claim?
Costs included might be heating and lighting costs, insurance, metered water, telephone or internet charges. Where working at home leads to a liability for business rates, this can also be included.
Costs must relate to the specific area of the home used for work. Costs that are the same, whether or not you work at home, cannot be included (ie: mortgage interest, rent, council tax and water rates).
Also excluded are costs that put you, as an employee, in a position to work at home, such as building alterations, furniture or office equipment.
HMRC will accept reimbursements up to £4 per week without the need for supporting paperwork. If reimbursements are to be a higher level, these must be justified and detailed records kept by the employee, be specially agreed with HMRC.
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Remember:
- No relief is given for occasional working at home or for informal arrangements such as work done at home in the evenings or weekends.
- To qualify, employees must have some sort of home working agreement to regularly work at home. Reimbursement is not taxable if homeworking is by choice.
What Is A Marriage Tax Refund?
The marriage tax allowance was introduced in April 2015 but many people were not aware of this at the time. Because of this, many couples did not apply for the marriage tax allowance and missed out on a lot of savings. You might very well be due a substantial refund for the most recent years in which you missed out.
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How Do I Claim a Tax Rebate?
You lose nothing by using our tax refund calculator to see what you’re owed. To claim your refund, just follow a few simple steps. It takes seconds we have made as straightforward as possible.
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