Working from home Tax relief/rebate declined.

Tobytobbins

My wife works 3 days a week and applied for the tax relief/rebate for working from home since the start of the pandemic.
She's been told to work from home since the start of the pandemic and hasn't been back in her office since it all began.
She filled in the online form and got a letter back this week saying
" I agree your claim for other job expenses.
You didn't pay any tax for the tax year 2019-2020. So, we don't owe you any tax back.
If this is wrong and you did pay tax, please contact us"

My wife was off for that calendar year due to having a severe hysterectomy, so paid no tax as stated for 2019-2020. 

They go on to say that she actually owes them but because it's a small amount that they'll not ask for it back.
My wife paid £284.20 tax for the year 2020-2021, estimate for this year is £416.

She started working from home March 2020 and is still working from home.

Is she eligible for any help with the cost of working from home?

Dazed_and_C0nfused

Which tax year(s) has she made a claim for??

I presume you are aware that financially the best option is for the employer to pay the expenses, upto £6/week is currently tax free (£4/week to 5 April 2020).

onashoestring

You can’t get tax back for any years you that you don’t  pay tax -

Your wife’s  tax code should have been changed for all of the years she has made the claim for .

Have they changed her tax code? 

Is she an employee or  self-employed ? 

sheramber

Tobytobbins said:

My wife works 3 days a week and applied for the tax relief/rebate for working from home since the start of the pandemic.
She's been told to work from home since the start of the pandemic and hasn't been back in her office since it all began.
She filled in the online form and got a letter back this week saying
" I agree your claim for other job expenses.
You didn't pay any tax for the tax year 2019-2020. So, we don't owe you any tax back.
If this is wrong and you did pay tax, please contact us"

My wife was off for that calendar year due to having a severe hysterectomy, so paid no tax as stated for 2019-2020. 

They go on to say that she actually owes them but because it's a small amount that they'll not ask for it back.
My wife paid £284.20 tax for the year 2020-2021, estimate for this year is £416.

She started working from home March 2020 and is still working from home.

Is she eligible for any help with the cost of working from home?

She is eligible for the allowance but for that year  20-21n it is cancelled out by an underpayment of tax.

She will  get tax relief for the WFH allowance of £6 per week. That is 312 @ 20% = £62.40.

The tax tables round down figures so it is normal for some people to have slightly underpaid tax at the end of the year. This underpayment is ignored. However, if an adjustment is needed then the actual tax paid is set off against the new liablitly.

In your wife's case it looks like her underpayment at the end of the year was greater than the relief due for the WFH allowance so there is no refund due, but HMRC are not asking her to pay the underpayment.

Her code number should be amended for 21/22 to include the WFH allowance and any relief will be given through the tax deducted each payday.  Has she received a new notice of coding?