HMRC urges anyone who wears a uniform to work to check if they can claim £100s – how much could you save?

HMRC has urged anyone who wears a work uniform to check if they could be entitled to claim cash back on their expenses.

Whether it’s a branded t-shirt or scrubs, those who wear a uniform could be owed hundreds of pounds.

HMRC has urged those who think they might be owed money to check if they’re eligible and make a claim directly.

How much could be paid out depends on how much the uniform costs and whether you have to regularly maintain it.

For instance, ambulance staff have specialist clothing, so would be entitled to more than a retail employee.

The standard flat-rate expense allowance for uniform maintenance is £60 a year.

By claiming a uniform tax refund, you’ll get back the amount of tax you would otherwise have paid on that £60.

So if you’re a basic-rate taxpayer, you’ll get 20% of £60 as a rebate – which is £12. Higher-rate taxpayers will get back £24.

You can backdate claims for the previous four tax years.

So, you’ll have until April 5 2025 to claim the relief for 2020/21 – after that, you’ll lose the ability to backdate for that year.

It’s also worth noting that some jobs come with a set flat rate uniform allowance.

For example, pilots and flight deck crew can claim up to £1,022 a year, joiners up to £140 and ambulance staff up to £185 a year – you can check the full list here.

As well as uniform expenses workers could be entitled to claim for cash paid out for tools or travel.

HMRC has reminded workers of five things they need to keep in mind before claiming. They are:

• Do you have supporting evidence such as receipts?
•  Is your expense work-related and necessary for you to do your job?
• If you’ve changed jobs has your entitlement changed?
• HMRC warned that not all expenses will lead to a repayment
• And, if you pay tax through ‘pay as you earn’ you’ll need to claim through self assessment

HMRC has warned those who may be eligible not to get caught out by online adverts or tax refund companies who offer to make expense claims on your behalf in return for a commission.

The government department has said it will help those who think they could be eligible to understand what they’re due and how to claim.

HMRC also reminded workers they can’t make a claim for expenses already reimbursed by employers.

How does it work?

The standard flat-rate price allowance for having a uniform is £60. If you claim a uniform tax refund, you’ll get back the amount of tax you would’ve paid for that £60.

If you’re a basic-rate taxpayer, you’ll get £12 back per year, because that’s 20% of £60.

Higher-rate taxpayers will get back £24.

But because the £60 is a flat-rate allowance, you won’t be required to record and send in the individual amounts you spend.

ou can also backdate your claim by up to four tax years as well as the current year. If you were a basic tax payer who wore uniform during those years, this is what you could claim:

• 2023/24 – £12
• 2022/23 – £12
• 2021/22 – £12
• 2020/21 – £12

You’ll need to claim this before the next tax year begins on 5 April 2025 or risk losing out.

Of course, some occupations require more wear and tear, like ambulance staff. Their maximum annual allowance for uniform is £185.

That means basic-rate tax payers would get £37 back each year they claimed, or £74 if they’re higher-rate.

Nurses and midwives have an allowance of £125 but can also claim shoes and tights, and so on.

You can search for your occupation here to check what you could be owed.

Who is eligible?

The cashback goes towards the effort you make washing your uniform for work.

But to be able to claim tax relief, all of the following must apply to you.

• You wear a uniform recognisably linked to a certain job e.g. branded t-shirt, paramedic or police officer and either a logo or a company name must be recognisable to a member of public.
• You are required to wear the uniform by your boss and had no choice but to buy it.
• You had to purchase, replace, mend or clean it yourself
• You paid income tax during the year you’re claiming for

How do I claim?

To claim a uniform tax refund for the first time, you’ll need to keep receipts and fill in a P87 form before sending it off to HMRC here:

Pay As You Earn

HM Revenue & Customs

BX9 1AS

This is what you’ll be asked:

• Employer’s name and address
• Your occupation, job title and industry sector
• Your details, including your national insurance number and your pay-as-you-earn (PAYE) reference
• Whether you’re claiming flat-rate expenses (usually you will be, if not, you’ll need detailed records of costs)
• How you want to be paid – into your bank account or by cheque

Your tax code should have adjusted when you last claimed if you’ve done it before – so you shouldn’t need to fill out a form – but you can call up HMRC on 0300 200 3310 if you don’t think it has.

You can do a reclaim over the phone.

The only group of uniformed workers who can’t claim the rebate are those in the armed forces – their uniform costs should be covered in their own individual tax codes.

Once HMRC processes your claim, it will send a letter back telling you how much you’re eligible for and when it’ll come through.

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