Martin Lewis is urging anyone wearing a uniform to check if he or she owes £100
MARTIN Lewis has urged workers to reclaim cash if they normally wear a uniform.
If you have to wash, repair or replace the outfit yourself, you could potentially reclaim hundreds of pounds in tax for up to five years’ worth of costs.
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You can indicate whether it is a branded T-shirt, or a fully uniformed pilot, police officer or nurse.
The standard flat-rate expense allowance for uniform maintenance is €60 per year.
By claiming a uniform tax refund, you get back the amount of tax you would otherwise have paid on that €60.
So if you’re a basic rate taxpayer, you’ll get 20 per cent of £60 as a rebate – that’s £12.
Higher rate taxpayers will get £24 back.
You can make retroactive claims for the previous four tax years.
You have until April 5, 2024 to claim the exemption for 2019/20. After that, you lose the ability to retroactively date for that year.
It’s also worth noting that some jobs have a uniform fixed salary.
For example, pilots and flight crew can claim up to £1,022 per year, carpenters up to £140 and ambulance crews up to £185 per year. view the full list.
Speaking on Martin Lewis Money Show Live, he said: “You don’t have to pay anyone for this and it’s easy via a P87, but you have to be quick for 19/20.”
Who is eligible?
The cashback goes towards the effort you make to wash your uniform before work.
But to claim tax relief, all of the following must apply to you.
You wear a uniform that is recognisably linked to a specific position, for example a branded T-shirt, paramedic or police officer
A logo or company name must be recognizable to the public.
You are required to wear it by your boss
In other words, you had no choice but to buy it. But if you only have to wear it for one day, don’t worry.
You can still claim the tax credit for the entire year.
You must purchase, replace, repair or clean it yourself
However, you cannot make a claim if your employer sometimes does this.
You have paid income tax during the year for which you are filing a tax return
Because you are supposed to pay less tax, you cannot file a claim if you have not paid any tax that year.
How do I claim?
If you want to claim a uniform tax refund for the first time, you must keep the receipts and receipts complete a P87 form before sending it to HMRC here:
Payroll tax
HM Revenue & Customs
BX9 1AS
You will be asked this:
- Employer’s name and address
- Your profession, job title and industry
- Your details, including your national insurance number and your pay-as-you-earn (PAYE) reference
- Whether you claim lump sum expenses (usually you will, if not you will need detailed cost data)
- How you want to be paid: to your bank account or by cheque
Your tax code should have been updated when you last made a claim if you have done so before (so you don’t need to fill in a form), but you can call HMRC on 0300 200 3310 if you think this isn’t the case is.
You can make a chargeback by telephone.
The only group of uniformed employees who cannot claim the discount are those in the armed forces; their uniform costs should be covered in their own individual tax laws.
Once HMRC has processed your claim, it will send back a letter telling you how much you are eligible for and when the claim will arrive.
Do you have a money problem that needs to be solved? Get in touch by emailing money@the-sun.co.uk.
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