I was reading an interesting article posted by Lee over at FivePencePiece – a UK personal finance blog – earlier this afternoon and I thought I would post about it here.
Lee posted –
“It’s not widely known that if you wear a uniform at work that you have to subsequently wash at home, you can claim a reduction in tax anywhere from £20 to £140 a year. The government will give you that figure every year to cover the expense of having to wash your own clothes! This is in more official parlance, termed the Fixed Rate Expense Allowance, which changes your tax code to increase your pre-taxable earnings.”
The HMRC (Inland Revenue) has published lists of occupations here which qualify for the Fixed Rate Expense Allowance. This is basically money you won’t get unless you ask for it – you are entitled to claim it if you fall within one of the occupation classes listed and have to wash your own uniform at home.
Visits Lee’s post to find out more details about how to go about making a claim for this money, together with a handy draft letter to request this from the Inland Revenue.
how can i claim money back 4 washing my uniform.ive 4 years in this job and 2 in my last job..coat trousers jumpers and t shirt..?
Hi Neil,
Thanks for the comment.
First – find out if you qualify here –
http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/manuals/eimanual/eim32712.htm
The old rates for previous years are here –
http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/employers-bulletin/bulletin27/freas.htm
Lee over at http://www.fivepencepiece.com/ has written a template letter you might find useful – visit his page for the link.
Simon