HMRC and Martin, we have a problem - WFH tax allowance

Savvy_Sue

purdyoaten2 said:

Is that not the code that you want to have - with the 312 included? If so, I wouldn’t worry about how HMRC has designated it - other expenses or job related expenses.

Or is it the case that you have received the P2 and your employer hasn’t?

I have a relative who claims WFH in 2020/21. I informed him that he would be required to reclaim in this tax year. All that happened was that his code has increased by 7 points - 1288L to 1295L under the P9x procedure.

My worry is that I seem to have both £60 from last year, still applied, and £312 from this year. The only allowance I'm entitled to is the WFH. 

I've had notification of the P2 by email, I haven't re-checked whether there's a notification coming to my employer (and won't be able to until I'm back at work at the end of next week). 

So your relative's code has increased by 7 points - but that is what has happened for all my colleagues, regardless of whether or not they claimed WFH allowance in 2020-21. Both Martin and HMRC say the allowance has to be reclaimed in 2021-22, but it hasn't been removed - and if you have to claim it again, surely it should be? 

[Deleted User]

Clear now. I would wait until you are back at work to check the code. If WFH has been included and you are entitled to it that’s fine - I would leave well alone! If not, it obviously needs removed. The £60 appears to be a flat rate expense, Have it removed if it no longer applies. I wouldn’t worry too much about it though - works out at £1 less tax per month for a basic rate taxpayer. HMRC aren’t going to go chasing it!

Elvie100

The £60 doesn’t seem right though.  Isn’t that the amount for washing your own uniform?

Dazed_and_C0nfused

Savvy_Sue said:

Elvie100 said:

We apply the PX9, then process the new codes sent for individuals so it’s overridden.  We had over 250 individual changes I think...majority of codes were sent out sometime in March.  I expect we’ll have a load more to add the wfh allowance back again!

That's the thing, I've had NO new codes (and I check online rather than trusting them to arrive by email or post). Although our payroll is smaller, c. 40, so maybe we're lower priority. I know some people did claim WFH last year. 

This is what my latest tax code looks like on the government gateway:



So you think I can stop panicking, wait for revised tax code to arrive, and assure my colleagues it's OK to claim the 2021-22 allowance now? And if my revised tax code doesn't appear when I check online for the May payroll, I'll know we've got a problem ... 

Isn't this screenshot showing that your 2021:22 tax code was calculated as 1389M without any WFH allowance and has now been changed to 1420M?

What code had you got set up on payroll ready for the new tax year?

And I don't understand this as the screenshot doesn't show anything as "WFH", just £312 Other Expenses, which is the result of you claiming WFH.
Where are you seeing WFH AND £312???

How I found the problem

Last night I logged in to make my claim for 2021-22, and it was successful: new tax code arrived. Then I looked to see how it was made up - Marriage allowance was there, WFH for 2021-22, AND £312 'other allowances' - which is £6 per week and looks remarkably like the WFH allowance. 

Elvie100

It’s the £60 Flat rate job expenses, which isn’t WFH that is causing confusion though, isn’t it?  If that has not been claimed for, personally I would call them because it could have been on there last year too.....

[Deleted User]

Elvie100 said:

It’s the £60 Flat rate job expenses, which isn’t WFH that is causing confusion though, isn’t it?  If that has not been claimed for, personally I would call them because it could have been on there last year too.....

It clearly is on there last year. See my previous post. If it needs to be removed, so be it!

Flat rate expenses range from £60 to £140.

Dazed_and_C0nfused

The airline industry haven't done too bad with flat rate expenses!!

List of industries and occupations

This table lists the industries, occupations and how much tax relief you can claim.

Industry Occupation Deduction £ 
Agriculture all workers 100  
Airlines pilots, co-pilots, helicopter pilots and uniformed flight deck crew 1,022  
cabin crew - stewards and stewardesses 720

[Deleted User]

Dazed_and_C0nfused said:

The airline industry haven't done too bad with flat rate expenses!!

List of industries and occupations

This table lists the industries, occupations and how much tax relief you can claim.

Industry Occupation Deduction £ 
Agriculture all workers 100  
Airlines pilots, co-pilots, helicopter pilots and uniformed flight deck crew 1,022  
cabin crew - stewards and stewardesses 720

On an entirely different flight path it seems.

Savvy_Sue

Elvie100 said:

The £60 doesn’t seem right though.  Isn’t that the amount for washing your own uniform?

Which I don't and have never done ... 

Dazed_and_C0nfused said:

Savvy_Sue said:

Elvie100 said:

We apply the PX9, then process the new codes sent for individuals so it’s overridden.  We had over 250 individual changes I think...majority of codes were sent out sometime in March.  I expect we’ll have a load more to add the wfh allowance back again!

That's the thing, I've had NO new codes (and I check online rather than trusting them to arrive by email or post). Although our payroll is smaller, c. 40, so maybe we're lower priority. I know some people did claim WFH last year. 

This is what my latest tax code looks like on the government gateway:



So you think I can stop panicking, wait for revised tax code to arrive, and assure my colleagues it's OK to claim the 2021-22 allowance now? And if my revised tax code doesn't appear when I check online for the May payroll, I'll know we've got a problem ... 

Isn't this screenshot showing that your 2021:22 tax code was calculated as 1389M without any WFH allowance and has now been changed to 1420M?

What code had you got set up on payroll ready for the new tax year?

And I don't understand this as the screenshot doesn't show anything as "WFH", just £312 Other Expenses, which is the result of you claiming WFH.
Where are you seeing WFH AND £312???

How I found the problem

Last night I logged in to make my claim for 2021-22, and it was successful: new tax code arrived. Then I looked to see how it was made up - Marriage allowance was there, WFH for 2021-22, AND £312 'other allowances' - which is £6 per week and looks remarkably like the WFH allowance. 

Sorry, I wasn't clear. 

I DEFINITELY claimed - or thought I'd claimed! - for WFH at some point last year, and my tax code changed. 

I started 2020-21 on 1375M and ended on 1381M.

I have no idea what the £60 is for, showing both last year and this year - because it's not enough to be WFH, is it? Possibly I mucked up that claim ...

The 'other expenses' of £312 showing on 2021-22 changed as a result of claiming WFH the other evening. 

Elvie100 said:

It’s the £60 Flat rate job expenses, which isn’t WFH that is causing confusion though, isn’t it?  If that has not been claimed for, personally I would call them because it could have been on there last year too.....

Yes, that £60 is on last year too, and if WFH should be £312, then that's missing, so I don't think I owe them ... 

I can't see that £60 on any previous years, just marriage allowance. 

I'm on leave for a week, I may 'crack' and check for tax codes before I get back to work ... 

Savvy_Sue

Not a lot of progress to report. No tax code changes have arrived at work, by any means. I phoned HMRC earlier in the week, started with the Employee helpline and explained that the tax code on my personal tax account had not been notified to my employer, they put me through to the Employer helpline, where I explained it again. 

They don't know WHY notifications aren't coming through. As an employer, we are definitely set up to receive an email when anything changes, but for the last few months none have come, and there are none showing when I log into the employer account. At one point last year a bundle of P6s arrived by post, but I think they also arrived as notifications online. 

They wanted to know if I was the only employee who hadn't had a notification sent to the employer. In the absence of intimate knowledge of what my colleagues have done about re-claiming the WFH flat rate, I could only say that no-one had complained yet! My next step, I guess, would be to email colleagues and ask everyone to check whether their tax code corresponds to what's on their personal tax account. 

I also tried to lose the £60 from my own tax code, but I don't think that I succeeded - no personal emails about this yet. 

It's just rather worrying that I'm not getting P6 changes notified to me! All sorts of stuff could be going on, and I won't have a clue, and won't make the changes.