Have You Claimed Your Working From Home Tax Relief?

Aug 23, 2023 | 0 comments

Back in 2020, when we all started to work from home a bit more, the government announced special tax relief just for homeworkers. That's right, a tax break just for those of us who were stuck working at the kitchen sink! So, have you claimed your working from home tax relief yet?

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Can I claim working from home tax relief?

If you must work from home, then you can claim tax relief. This means that you are not choosing to work from home, rather you have no other choice. Reasons for this may include living too far away from your office to reasonably commute to, having extenuating circumstances that make working in the office unsafe or unsuitable, or your employer not having a physical office. In these cases, you must work from home and are eligible for tax relief.

Who can’t claim working from home tax relief?

If you simply choose to work from home because that is your preference, then you can’t claim tax relief. If, for example, the office is too full and you would prefer not to work in a crowded space, then you are choosing to work from home. This is also true for those who work from home due to Covid fears. These reasons are not classified as needing to work from home and do not make you eligible for working from home tax relief.

What does the tax relief cover?

It covers anything that has cost you money specifically to work from home. It could include things such as:

Business phone calls
Gas and electricity for the area that you work in

You can either claim £6 per week with no need to keep receipts of your work-related costs, or you can claim for exact work-related costs, as long as you show proof of all receipts. Crucially, you cannot claim tax relief on anything that you would have used for both work and personal use, such as Broadband costs.

£6 a week comes out to £312 a year, which adds up to a lot over multiple years, so we recommend that you claim your tax relief today if you haven’t already.

Conclusion

In times of high inflation, every little helps. If you haven't yet claimed your working from home tax relief, then you're missing out on free money. Click here to find out how you can claim yours and in the meantime, if you're looking for wider financial support and advice, then contact us and arrange an appointment with one of our financial advisors. You can do that by filling out our enquiry form here.

HM Revenue & Customs practice and the law relating to taxation are complex and subject to individual circumstances and changes which cannot be foreseen.