Working from home is something millions of us have had to get used to over the past two years.
Since the start of the pandemic in March 2020, remote working has become the norm for a huge number of people as companies have sought to reduce the threat of coronavirus in the workplace.
While some are happy to work from the comfort of their home offices or living rooms, others have sorely missed the day-to-day buzz of the office.
Read more: Cold Weather Payment: what is it, how much is it and how do I get it
But whether you enjoy home working or not, something most people have also had to get used to is increased costs.
While extra heating, costs of office equipment and setting up have put a financial burden on many, there is a way you can compensate for being out of pocket.
With home working guidance now in place across the whole of the UK as of Monday, December 13, here's what you know about how to claim a tax refund for home working - even if you've only worked one day from home in the past year.
Workers have always been able to claim back for increased costs of working from home - for example, if you’re using more heat or electricity.
However, HMRC has confirmed that those who’ve worked from home for even just one day during Covid can also put in a request for tax relief.
Claims can also be backdated, so if you worked from home last year because of the pandemic, you may be eligible for £250 tax relief.
Your boss must have required you to work from home for you to put in a claim, meaning millions of people are likely to be entitled to tax back.
You must also have incurred extra costs from working at home.
How do I claim back tax from working from home?
The tax relief for this year is applied directly to your salary, so you won’t receive the money in a cash lump sum.
How much tax relief you get also depends on the rate of tax you pay.
You can claim tax relief on £6 a week for the current tax year, which equates to:
- £1.20 a week for a basic 20% rate taxpayer (£62.40 a year)
- £2.40 a week for a higher 40% rate taxpayer (£124.80 a year)
- £2.70 a week for a top 45% rate taxpayer (£140.40 a year)
You can backdate your claim for the last four tax years, which run from April to April each year. If you’re backdating a claim, this will be sent to you as a lump sum through your salary.
To apply for previous years, you must meet the same circumstances. This means your employer must have required you to work from home and you experienced increases costs because of this.
They also must have not already covered your expenses.
Sadly, you can't claim if you're self-employed - you’ll instead need to claim expenses on your tax return.
To find out more and to make a claim go on the UK government website.
To claim the money, you'll need a Government Gateway user ID and password. If you don't already have one, creating a Government Gateway ID usually takes about 10 minutes. It works best if you have your National Insurance number and recent payslip or P60 or a valid UK passport.
To get the latest news from WalesOnline straight into your inbox, click here.
