Flat rate expenses help needed

ToledoZombie

I wrote to hmrc in October to reclaim flat rate Expenses for the last few years as I launder my own work clothes. Now I had been led to believe that the amount I could reclaim was 60 pound per year for working as a caretaker. I have finally had a response saying I will receive 11 pound per year. I'm confused so rang hmrc and they say I don't get 60 pound back but I get tax relief on that 60 pound of 11 pounds a year. Is this correct, was I misinformed to start with?
One of my colleagues has just had a refund totally of 210 pounds yet I'm getting 33 pounds. We have both been at the same workplace since Jan 2008.

BoGoF

It is correct that you only get tax relief on the £60, not a refund of £60.

As to why your colleague got more, who knows.....could have paid emergency tax at some point.

roger_c

Assuming you're a basic rate tax payer you will get back 20% of £60 = £12 for each year.

Therefore but before the 2009/10 tax year it was 20% of £45 = 9

Therefore you should get back:-

2008/09 - £9
2009/10 - £12
2010/11 - £12

Total - £33

Perhaps your colleague is claiming the relief for a place she/he worked at previous to January 2008? You can go back as far as 2005/06 up until tomorrow. Or perhaps you do different jobs? The amount of relief can alter depending on what type of work you do (nurse/police officer/agricultural worker, etc).