Working from Home

Narola1976

Just looking for advice. I work from home and have done for the last 10 years. I do not get any special fees from my company for doing so apart from £10 every month toward broadband. They do not provide any office equipment e.g desk, chair etc apart from the mobile, laptop and printer. They reimburse me for stationery purchased. I don’t get any payment towards gas electric etc. As you can imagine my usage during the day exceeds the average user. I have never claimed anything from HMRC re this and wondered if there was something I could claim. I only raise this as with Covid 19 Martin mentioned that people can claim £6 for working from home and seemed to indicate there was something people who ordinarily work from home could, hence my question. sorry if I have not put this in the right place.

Speedbird676

Two methods:

1. If your employer's policy permits, you could claim £6 per week as an expense in 2020-21. This has just gone up from £4 per week for previous years.
2. If your employer's policy does not permit, you could claim a tax rebate for the £6 (previously £4) per week of your salary you spend working from home. For a basic rate tax payer this would be £41.60 for the 2019-20 tax year.

For the latter, you would need to complete form P87 after the end of the tax year assuming you don't already do a Self Assessment Tax Return.

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/claim-income-tax-relief-for-your-employment-expenses-p87#how-to-claim-tax-relief-on-work-related-expenses

oldbikebloke

whilst the above post sets out the mechanics, lets get the start point facts confirmed before considering the "how to" stuff.

Does your contract of employment REQUIRE you to work AT home, or do you merely have the option to choose to work at home if you wish?
Only is it a requirement can you claim anything at all in the first place (outside of the current corvid related special circumstances)

Speedbird676

oldbikebloke said:

whilst the above post sets out the mechanics, lets get the start point facts confirmed before considering the "how to" stuff.

Does your contract of employment REQUIRE you to work AT home, or do you merely have the option to choose to work at home if you wish?
Only is it a requirement can you claim anything at all in the first place (outside of the current corvid related special circumstances)

All valid points.

Although not explicitly stated, I had read the original post as their employer does not provide a place of work in which case they would be eligible.

Narola1976

oldbikebloke said:

whilst the above post sets out the mechanics, lets get the start point facts confirmed before considering the "how to" stuff.

Does your contract of employment REQUIRE you to work AT home, or do you merely have the option to choose to work at home if you wish?
Only is it a requirement can you claim anything at all in the first place (outside of the current corvid related special circumstances)

Speedbird676 said:

oldbikebloke said:

whilst the above post sets out the mechanics, lets get the start point facts confirmed before considering the "how to" stuff.

Does your contract of employment REQUIRE you to work AT home, or do you merely have the option to choose to work at home if you wish?
Only is it a requirement can you claim anything at all in the first place (outside of the current corvid related special circumstances)

All valid points.

Although not explicitly stated, I had read the original post as their employer does not provide a place of work in which case they would be eligible.

Hi. It is not by choice. I am based at home as part of my contract and while I have an office location designated as my local office, for post and such, I am not linked to the office as completely different department and I do not work with them. The team I am in work across the country all from home. So for example some of the areas I do work with are in wales but I live in the midlands. My work is by definition remote.

cloud_dog

If you can check with your HR that you are classified as a homeworker.  This classification can also have a bearing on what you can claim regarding any busines mileage.

oldbikebloke

Narola1976 said:

Hi. It is not by choice. I am based at home as part of my contract and while I have an office location designated as my local office, for post and such, I am not linked to the office as completely different department and I do not work with them. The team I am in work across the country all from home. So for example some of the areas I do work with are in wales but I live in the midlands. My work is by definition remote.

fine, then you should have been claiming the "cost" per week from the day you started working for them and £6 per week from 6 April 2020, however, it is too late for that far back as you are restricted to claiming only for the last 4 TAX years (but no older) plus the current tax year