How to claim uniform tax relief
The tax man could owe you £100 for your laundry bill
If you have to wear a uniform or branded clothing to work then you may be able to get your tax bill cut this year – and for the past four years. The total saving could be £100 or more.
A uniform does not have to be a full set of clothes such as that worn by a nurse or a security guard. A branded T-shirt or blouse with the company logo on it also counts, as does safety clothing or boots. However, it does not include plain clothing in a particular colour – for example if you are expected to wear a white blouse or dark blue trousers.
A suit will not count even if you never wear it except for work.
In order to qualify you have to be responsible for keeping your uniform clean and neat. If you do that, then you could save between £12 and £28 off this year’s tax bill – and you can go back four years to 2014/15 if you qualified then.
So you could get a cheque for at least £60, and in some jobs more than double that. If you pay higher rate tax then the amount you get back will be twice as much.
The amounts are flat-rate and have not changed for many years. It doesn’t matter how much you actually spend on washing and ironing, even if you do it at home.
You get the flat-rate amount of tax relief set down for your particular job. In some cases it is better to claim the actual amounts you spend – but to do that you will need to keep receipts. Members of the armed forces do not need to apply – they have a set amount added to their pay to cover the costs.
For more information visit gov.uk and search “tax relief job expenses”.
That shows the amount of tax relief you can claim and also covers other things you may be able to get tax relief for as an employee, with a link to the claim forms.