Allowed expenses for teachers?

CannyJock

Just speaking to a primary teacher about the costs they incur as part of their job, loads of stationery and costs involved in attending courses.

It's got to the point that the cost of this is running to hundreds of pounds a year so I'm trying to find out if there is any tax relief available.

Am compiling a list of expenses and reading up on the hmrc site on allowances. This restriction on substantive duties and contract of employment seems unfair given a typical teacher's routine - there's so much that they do that's not in the neat box of "their personal choice".

They can't work from the school because it closes prompt, so the convenience argument about home working and expenses for use of PC/printers/stationery, I think doesn't apply.

Obviously looking to maximise the permissable expenses and present it sensibly to HMRC in the best way possible.

Any thoughts or words of advice from the ex-tax inspectors out there on allowed expenses and best way to frame it?

aloiseb

As a self-employed (peripatetic) teacher, I always claimed tax relief on books bought for pupils. I would think you could claim a purchase of paper or cartridges for printers in the same way.You'd have to keep receipts, in case IR queried it.
Also it might help to keep some kind of written record of how many pages were printed for own use and how many for your work, as evidence of your professionalism.
However,
a) I'm not sure if you can do this as a salaried employee - wouldn't they say you should claim back from the school's expenses?
b) if it was several 100 pounds in a year, they might query it, as it's quite a substantial amount.... my claim never added up to that much, so they have never bothered (yet!)
hope helpful

PS gosh, don't IR love their acronyms?

Poppy9

All expenses involved in attending courses are usually recoverable from the school. I know in my LA that they claim mileage allowance of about 46p per mile plus meal allowances if travelling outside the county. Any other incidental costs can be paid through the school petty cash.

OH is a Police officer and also incurs private expenditure. PO are given a blanket tax allowance by the IR and that is all they can claim. Think it's about £60 per year. OH has to buy his own boots which cost him about £60 a time and depending on what job he's doing can go through 2 pairs a year as they have to have decent soles and be waterproof. He also has to pay for his own dry cleaning of his trousers and jackets and he washes his shirts, fleeces, flourescent jackets at home too. In addition to this he provides his own pens, files and folders and uses the home computer but no longer prints off at home as he's discovered a memory stick! He cannot claim for any of this from the IR though as it's been tried by the Police Fed.

fengirl_2

I spent a lot of my IR life dealing with teachers and University staff.
The rules on allowable expenses are extremely tight and apply to all employees. The law says that an expenses must be incurred wholly exclusively and necessarily in the performance of the duties. This is unlike self employed expenses which only have to be expended wholly and exclusively for the business - note that they dont have to be necessary - the reason being that when you run your own business you decide what is necessary, but when you are an employee, the expenses are dictated by the job.
Regarding courses, as someone else has said, if these are necessary, the employer would normally pay for them. A course designed to keep your knowledge up to date would generally be allowable, but a course at which you learn new skills, etc would nto beallowable, fo instance.
Clothing other than lab coats, sports kit, etc would not be allowable as everyone needs to wear clothes. Stationery should be provided by school, as should a place to mark work (my OH is a teacher so I know this doesnt always work), but if it is impossible to work at school, you would have to get the school to write a clause into your contract that you have to provide a room at home in which to work.
In summary, it is the duties imposed by the job which are key - one cannot generalise, but the opportunities for expense claims are extemely limited.

CannyJock

Thanks for replies. I've already suggested that they should be able to claim full value of mileage to/from courses, but the school they're at doesn't seem to understand this. It's in a deprived area, but far as I can see that's no excuse for them to push costs onto their teachers.

I'm amazed at how much time teachers spend producing resources themselves, IR can argue this is their "free choice" but that's not the reality of the job.

Teacher2301

Claim mileage through admin for all coourses you attend. Contray to Fengirls advice - CPD courses are allowable to claim mileage (not usually the mileage you do from home to work but any extra and above). Clothing you can't but if there are specialist safety items, get the school to pay for them (but I know how tight primary budgets are). Stationary can be provided by the school but unlikely - put orders in for school stationary and save work on a memory stick and print out at work - I do.

I'm amazed at how much time teachers spend producing resources themselves, IR can argue this is their "free choice" but that's not the reality of the job.

Teachers are professionals and in the role we have directed time (1295 teaching hours) - there is always a sentence in a contract that says something like 'duties above directed time' - which basically means extra work. I prefer this to being a waged technician as I have the freedom to do what is necessary without someone telling me how to teach. Some ultra-unionist teachers disagree and complain - that's fine but for me, I enjoy what I do and get great satisfaction from being a professional teacher.

CannyJock

Where the CPD training (continuing professional develoment for non-teachers ) is to somewhere not your normal place of work, isn't the full mileage claimable regardless of where it is?

To give you an idea, the primary school in question has got crazy limits on photo-copying and last year exhausted their photo-copying budget my the end of December with half a year still to go!

Help from the school won't have much chance of success, but given the option of doing things off their own back or not having resources for the lessons, the preference is to incur the cost and at least get some tax breaks on it.

Any other thoughts or is it just deemed to be part of their job that teachers accept these extra costs?

Teacher2301

No, its not part of the job nor do you have to 'lump it'. Contact your LEA and ask them about the costs you are incurring. Better still, contact your union rep ( I know I berate Unions but they have their usefulness!) and they should at least point you in the right direction. Good luck and let me know the outcome.

GavB79

I am a bursar in a state school and we always pay for course fees, reimburse mileage, pay for diaries stationery etc. We don't pay for subsistence on a course as you would have to eat anyway. And if you want the fancy pink diary with flowers on from Staples, you make that choice to buy it. Nobody is out of pocket unless they don't bother to claim