Don’t Miss Out on Claiming Tax Relief if You’ve Been Working From Home

If you worked from home during the coronavirus pandemic, you may be able to claim tax relief for household expenses, according to HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC).

Myrtle Lloyd, HMRC’s Director General for Customer Services, said: “More people are getting back to office working now, but it’s not too late to apply for tax relief on household expenses if they’ve been working from home.”

You can claim the relief if your employer told you to work from home for as little one day. You can also apply if you have now returned to the office or are planning to.

But anyone working at home through choice or whose expenses are being paid by their employer, or through an allowance, can’t claim tax relief.

The tax relief covers the proportion of your bills, including gas and electricity, metered water, business phone calls and internet costs, which relate to your time working at home.

Each employee can claim up to £125 per year or £6 a week from April 6, 2020. You can claim a flat rate or the exact amount of extra costs incurred on your bills, but in this case you will need to provide evidence. The tax relief you receive will be based on the rate at which you pay tax.

You can apply for the relief through your Self Assessment annual tax return, if you complete one. Otherwise, use the HMRC working from home tax relief portal, to check your eligibility. You will need to set up a Government Gateway user ID and password, if you don’t already have one. To do so, you’ll need your national insurance number and a form of ID such as a passport.

Read more about this story in the Evening Standard Homes & Property.