Working from Home

BK1248

Hi 

I've recently moved house, into my first mortgaged property. I lived with my parents previously.
Around about the same time, I started a new job and I have went from working in an office 9-5pm everyday, to working from home 4 days a week! 

Is there anything I can claim back for the extra expenses from working from home? Difficulty is I'd have nothing to compare my bill with as I lived with my parents and my younger sister before I moved out. 

Sandtree

Expenses? That comes down to your employer's policy.

If you are mandated to work from home, rather than you choosing to, then you can apply to HMRC for tax relief which is a flat £6/week 
Claim tax relief for your job expenses: Working from home - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

The reality for most however is that working from home is cheaper than going into the office given how little it costs to run a laptop for 9 hours a day -v- saving on commuting etc

BK1248

Apologies, by expenses I mean the extra gas and electricity I'm using.

Yes I have to work from home, I am only permitted to go in if I have face to face client appointments, which is scheduled for once a week  

Thank you!

sammyjammy

BK1248 said:

Apologies, by expenses I mean the extra gas and electricity I'm using.

Yes I have to work from home, I am only permitted to go in if I have face to face client appointments, which is scheduled for once a week  

Thank you!

Sandtrees post refers then, if nothing is in place through your employer you can claim the tax relief  through Sandtrees link

Dazed_and_C0nfused

Just to be clear it is tax relief on £6/week.

This will save you between £0/week and, in extreme circumstances, £3.60/week.

For most it saves £1.20/week so getting £6 from your employer is the best option from a financial perspective.

Marcon

BK1248 said:

Apologies, by expenses I mean the extra gas and electricity I'm using.

Yes I have to work from home, I am only permitted to go in if I have face to face client appointments, which is scheduled for once a week  

Thank you!

Check your employer's policy, but most take the view that employees are saving a lot of money in terms of transport costs, lunches etc, so you may find the answer is 'no'.

lisyloo

You don’t have to heat whole house.

you could invest in thermostatic radiator vales
I really like heated throws.
or perhaps you need a new job?

annabanana82

Technically you don't need to have a laptop plugged in for the whole day, you can get away with half and working off the battery for the other half. 
I also don't put the heating on all day either, layer up and a blanket.

The kettle gets used more and I do tend to spend longer cooking now I have longer at home. 
Fuel costs disappeared completely initially saving £180 a month, now fuel costs me £50-80 a month depending on my plans. Would be much less if I didn't have a 6 mile school run 5 days a week.

Brie

Jillanddy said:

Nor is anyone talking about how much employers are saving and pocketing by having people pay the costs that they have had to bear in the past. They could, like, share those savings???

Oh and look out the window!!  Flying pigs!!!

@Jillanddy!!

Our company is already struggling to deal with the increase in workplace adjustments due to people trying to WFH with just a laptop with a 15 inch screen while processes suggest they are viewing multiple applications at the same time.  And they are doing this seated on the floor, the couch, their bed due to space constraints and trying to have phone calls with their mobile tucked against their shoulder so the call can be relatively private when there are children/partners in the same room.  We were given a 6 week window to order kit for better working but many missed that and now there's the assumption they were either too stupid, too slow or simply don't actually need things.  I doubt many of us expected the situation to go on for more than a few months at the very most - not approaching 2 years!!  OK - rant over!!!

Claddagh_Noir

Jillanddy said:

Sandtree said:

The reality for most however is that working from home is cheaper than going into the office given how little it costs to run a laptop for 9 hours a day -v- saving on commuting etc

If only working from home only involved running a laptop for 9 hours a day....! Or that everyone's commute is more expensive than the combined additional costs of working from home. You have been watching the news about energy prices for, you know, stuff like heating a house for an additional 9 hours a day? Then there are those pesky things like having appropriate desks, chairs, etc., etc - oh and the space to put them. I can only begin to imagine the H&S claims that will start coming in for people who were made to work from home with inadequate DSE's. When someone works from home it doesn't suspend the employers responsibilities in all sorts of areas, even if there is a pandemic. Although most employers I come across seem to not have noticed that. Yet.

At the start of the pandemic, I clearly remember my partner having to take a picture of his workstation with the office chair. I thought they were just snooping but it was a matter of health and safety.   My employer didn't ask for pictures, they just got us to fill in a form making sure our workstations were somewhat adequate.  Luckily, I have a PC and desk set up. 

lisyloo

Jillanddy said:

lisyloo said:

You don’t have to heat whole house.

you could invest in thermostatic radiator vales
I really like heated throws.
or perhaps you need a new job?

We have had this discussion before. I have thermostatic radiators. When I am not in the house I don't heat ANY rooms, so working from home means that some rooms have to be heated. I have a heated throw. I also happen to be 64 and have severe disabilities which are made far worse by damp and cold i.e. winter!

And thanks for that advice - my manager is doing everything she can to make sure that I need a new job thanks, but perhaps there's going to be a huge number of employers waiting to hire an older disabled person. Do let me know where they are.

I am lucky enough to have the space and knowledge to have a proper set up though - perhaps you could tell my low paid staff how to afford a proper desk, chair etc, proper screens, and oh and extra room to work from when they don't have any space at home.

Not everyone is the same. The mantra that everyone is better off working from home, financially and otherwise, is nowhere evidenced. Some people will be, others won't, but there is no empirical evidence to suggest that it is true for most people or how many those oft-quoted "most people" are. 

Nor is anyone talking about how much employers are saving and pocketing by having people pay the costs that they have had to bear in the past. They could, like, share those savings???

I’m sorry my genuinely intended suggestions appear to have irritated you. I love my throws and heated mattress cover and so does my elderly dad. Oddly enough I bought cooling stuff not that long again.
i said nothing about savings or everyone being the same or repeated any mantras so I’m not sure why your ire appears to be directed towards me.

in answer to your questions, I use LinkedIn for jobs. I’m contacted most days even though I’m off the market.
i get good free stuff from freecycle and marketplace (I’ve recently given a screen away for free so stuff doesn’t come up).

if you don’t like those suggestions then just ignore them you don’t have to rant about a load of things I never said.

i would recommend other younger people take personal responsibility and plan to retire way before 64 - it’s simply too old for most of us.