There are obviously some difficult grey areas here - and we're not just talking about dirty collars. A lot of people either end up not claiming what they should, or getting stern looks from the taxman for claiming too much. If you're not sure whether your work clothes count as a uniform, get some professional advice to find out exactly where you stand. Your uniform tax rebate depends on the work you do and the tax band you're in. That's not where the story ends, though.
The list of jobs with their own rules is pretty huge, but tends to focus on industries with particular clothing requirements. You can find the full, up-to-date list here. Armed Forces uniform tax rebates are handled differently from most other professions. Generally speaking, your uniform maintenance costs are handled through your tax code.
Basically, your tax-free Personal Allowance gets ratcheted up a few notches to make up for what you're shelling out. Specialised work clothing sometimes actually means things like safety gear. Keeping things like helmets, goggles or protective gloves in good order is obviously essential to your work.
If you're paying for this yourself and not getting reimbursed by your employer, then you should qualify for tax relief. You still can't claim tax back against the initial cost of buying them, though. Also, you may find that the clothes you wear to work may sometimes be different from those you wear at work. A PE teacher , for example, might show up in the morning in normal clothes. Actually doing the job, however, might mean changing into a sports kit later in the day.
The kit is an essential part of the work, so would usually entitle the teacher to tax relief. There's another little wrinkle here, too. Suppose your employer has provided you with a laundry room, but you don't like to use it for some reason. Maybe the machines sometime chew your socks up, or maybe the place just smells funny. Either way, the fact that those facilities exist means that you can't claim a uniform tax rebate. Likewise, if you're getting reimbursed for your costs already, you can't claim for them.
Another important point is that employers sometimes arrange to sort out tax relief on your behalf. In those cases, you obviously can't claim it again.
However, not everyone realises that the arrangements are already in place when they make their claim. Fortunately, the taxman understands how this can happen.
Probably the worst you could expect is a polite letter from HMRC explaining why your claim was denied. Obviously, it's still better not to make the mistake in the first place, though. The paperwork your tax refund claim requires depends on what you're claiming. For flat rate uniform tax rebates, most people won't need to keep anything specific.
HMRC's flat rates don't require a lot of bookkeeping to claim. You do still have to know roughly what you spent in a year, though. If it's costing you significantly more than HMRC's estimates, then good records will help you prove it. Not necessarily. The HMRC rules say you can claim back your money for up to 4-years, so it may not be too late.
Even if you've never even thought of claiming before, you could still get back what the taxman owes you. Self-employed people work out their taxes through the Self Assessment tax return system. This means they don't claim refunds from HMRC in the same way as employed people. However, if you're self-employed, there are still lots of unavoidable expenses that can bring down your tax bill.
No, absolutely not! There are lots of everyday work expenses that entitle you to tax relief, but so many people just don't realise they qualify. Small tools from hairdressing scissors to masonry drills can count for a rebate claim, as can any required licences or professional subscriptions. This is a huge and often misunderstood area of tax law. One of the biggest tax rebate issues is travel to temporary workplaces, but anything from visas to vaccinations can count.
If you work in a kitchen, you're entitled to a range of tax reliefs on your unavoidable expenses. The things you can claim for depend on your circumstances. Your work clothes are a great example. If you're paying to clean, repair or replace your work clothing, you're entitled to a uniform tax rebate. This counts for your whites, your apron and anything else you're required to wear for work. If you're responsible for supplying your own kitchen equipment, this can also qualify you for tax relief.
Safety gear like non-slip shoes is a good example of an expense you can claim for. Essential utensils from knives to saucepans can also count if you're paying for them yourself. Working in hairdressing takes a lot of specialised equipment. If you're paying for cleaning, repairing or replacing things like a uniform or tunic, you could qualify for tax relief.
The key things to remember are that you have to be paying for the items yourself, and they must be essential to your work.
It doesn't stop with aprons and tunics, either. If you have to provide your own scissors, combs, hairdryers or clippers, you could have a claim. Whatever essentials of the trade you've shelled out for personally could go toward clawing back your tax refund from HMRC. Even if the individual costs are small, they still add up over time.
Mechanics face a lot of unavoidable expenses just to do their job. You've almost certainly got specialised clothing, and maybe even a uniform to take care of. If you're paying for laundry and upkeep of your work clothes, you could well be in line for a tax refund. It doesn't stop there. Are you buying, repairing or replacing your tools out of your own pocket? What about your safety gear? Expenses like these are essential to your work, so HMRC says you can claim tax relief on them.
Everything from a spark plug to a socket set could go toward your tax refund, so don't miss out! Uniformed police officers know how tough the job can be on their work clothing. Luckily, the taxman knows it too and is willing to help out. We also use cookies set by other sites to help us deliver content from their services. You can change your cookie settings at any time.
Find out what work-related expenses you can claim tax relief on for clothing and tools if you're an employee. The amount you can claim depends on your job and the industry you work in. If you make a flat rate expenses claim you do not need to keep a record of what you have spent or any receipts.
If you want to claim the exact amount you have spent on expenses you must keep receipts and make a claim by post. The amount of tax relief you get will not be the same as the amount of expenses you have claimed for. A uniform is not clothing of a similar design or colour that you must wear for work for example, a bank who wants to promote its corporate image by requiring all counter staff to wear a shirt or blouse in their corporate colours.
You can claim tax relief if you wash the uniform given to you by your employer, unless your employer provides a laundering service and you choose not to use it and wash your uniform yourself. Check if you can claim online. If your employer pays towards your expenses deduct the amount they pay to get the figure you can claim. You can then make a claim by post , or enter the amount in box 18 of the SA page if you need to send us a Self Assessment tax return.
Find out more information about claiming tax relief for your job expenses. The flat rate expenses you can claim tax relief on for uniforms, work clothing and tools have been updated. Decline Settings Accept. New Password. Repeat Password. Please log in or register to access this page.
Log In. One-third of employed people in the UK are eligible for a uniform tax allowance. You may be entitled to a tax rebate. Sarah Laing tells you how to claim. You may be entitled to a uniform tax allowance if your work requires you to wear a uniform that is provided by your employer and bears a company logo.
If you are then required to maintain that uniform at your own expense without a contribution from your employer, you are likely to be entitled to the allowance. Flat rate expenses for cleaning costs have been negotiated for operatives in particular industries including shop workers wearing a branded uniform. You can find a full list of flat rate expenses on the HMRC website at www. There are also separate flat rate expenses available for nurses and other health care workers.
In addition to the flat rate expenses outlined, a new annual flat rate expense allowance for laundering uniforms by ratings and other ranks has recently been agreed between HMRC and Ministry of Defence. The following annual flat rate expense allowance FREA may be claimed for laundering uniforms:.
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