YOU MAY BE ABLE TO CLAIM MONEY IF YOU WORK FROM HOME
Tax relief can benefit UK taxpayers as it allows you to reduce the amount of tax you pay, or claim back tax you’ve already paid to the government. There are a couple of circumstances where you may be entitled to tax relief.
You might be able to claim tax relief if you use your own money for things that you must buy for your job or you only use for your work. Gov.uk adds that you cannot claim tax relief if your employer either gives you all the money back or an alternative, for example your employer gives you a laptop but you want a different type or model.
If your employer has paid some of your expenses, you can only claim tax relief on the amount they have not paid. Offering further advice, Gov.uk says "You must have paid tax in the year you’re claiming for. The amount of tax relief you get cannot be more than the amount of tax you paid in that year."
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You may be able to claim tax relief for additional household costs if you have to work at home for all or part of the week. You can claim tax relief if you have to work from home, for example because:
- Your job requires you to live far away from your office
- Your employer does not have an office
However, government advice makes clear that you cannot claim tax relief if you choose to work from home. This includes if your employment contract lets you work from home some or all of the time, and if your employer has an office, but you cannot go there sometimes because it’s full.
You can only claim for things to do with your work, this includes phone calls and gas and electricity concerning work areas. You can claim for this tax year and the four previous tax years. It doesn't include anything used for personal use.
How much you can claim and how
According to Gov.uk, you can either claim tax relief on:
- £6 a week
- the exact amount you’ve spent
You’ll get tax relief based on the rate at which you pay tax.
When you claim, you must send evidence that you have to work from home if you’re either claiming:
- £6 a week for the tax year 2022 to 2023 or later
- the exact amount you’ve spent
