Hmrc Wfh

gazmo10

I work for HMRC and have been  fortunate to work from home since March.  However HMRC as my employer have advised me and staff they cannot claim the £6 per week if they are saving more than this a week because of not travelling to work. I myself save approximately £65 a month by not going to the office.  So with there rules i cannot claim.  Is this rigjt HMRC as my employer can invent this rule?

Jeremy535897

There is no such requirement in the legislation. How have they communicated this? What was the precise wording used?

bradders1983

No idea but you know the net benefit will be less than £6 a month to a basic taxpayer, hardly worth the bother or even the worry.

Jeremy535897

HMRC is tasked with fairly collecting tax due according to the law. If they cannot do this in respect of their own employees, what chance do the rest of us taxpayers have?

Thrugelmir

As a public servant wouldn't be taken too kindly if you were perceived to be benefiting financially from the circumstances I'd suggest. HMRC boss would have some explaining to do. 

bradders1983

No employer has to give a valid reason to add the extra £6pw to your pay, and demanding it when you are saving money anyway is a bit churlish tbh. If you really really want it claim the £1.20 net per week (for basic rate taxpayers)  the other method: by yourself. Given you work for HMRC I wont insult your intelligence with how to do this.

Jeremy535897

Thrugelmir said:

As a public servant wouldn't be taken too kindly if you were perceived to be benefiting financially from the circumstances I'd suggest. HMRC boss would have some explaining to do. 

My issue is that there appears to be a misinterpretation of the legislation here. I can see the argument that a public servant might be discouraged from making a claim when they are better off anyway, but there is no rule of law that says this. This is why I wanted precise details of the communication.

calcotti

gazmo10 said:

I work for HMRC and have been  fortunate to work from home since March.  However HMRC as my employer have advised me and staff they cannot claim the £6 per week if they are saving more than this a week because of not travelling to work. I myself save approximately £65 a month by not going to the office.  So with there rules i cannot claim.  Is this rigjt HMRC as my employer can invent this rule?

It isn’t clear from your post whether you are referring to HMRC, as your employer, paying you a £6/week allowance for WFH (which they are under no obligation to do) or whether they are advising you that you will not be permitted to claim the tax allowance in your self assessment. If the latter that’s would seem to be wrong.

John_the_Boy

Its definitely the extra £6/week they won't pay if you save more than this WFH. Nothing to do with claiming tax relief.
I work for HMRC and feel this is entirely reasonable. I save about £12-15 a week so wouldn't consider claiming £6 a week as my extra expenses are less than this anyway. That said when winters here and I have to have the heating on I might feel different 

Grumpy_chap

I agree, the OP's post is a bit confusing.

I first read it the same way as Jeremy, that HMRC were suggesting their employees were not allowed to make the claim via tax return.  As Jeremy says, there would be no grounds for this.

With comments from others, the OP's post has been read that HMRC are paying the full £6 per week as an allowance to those employee's who do not save £6 by not commuting.  Not then prohibiting the claims via tax return.

Both ways of reading the OP's post are possible interpretations.  Perhaps the OP will clarify.

jon81uk

If your employer chooses to pay you an allowance for working from home, if it is up to £6 a week then you don't need to pay tax on it. Other benefits (such as company car) can be taxable.

If you employer doesn't pay an allowance, you can treat £6 a week of your pay as additional tax-free income and claim the tax on that, in a tax return.

Read Martins blog on it.