Can you claim tax relief for your expenses?

Being a Care Worker is a tough job in which the payslip at the end of each month doesn’t reflect the hard work put in. To add insult to injury, they also spend thousands on expenses required to simply do their job. They’re out of pocket from buying fuel, meals on the road, DBS checks and more. Though care workers cannot get the full expense of these costs back (unless their employers provide this directly), they can claim back the tax on these expenses.

You might be able to claim tax relief if:

• you use your own money for things that you must buy for your job
• you only use these things for your work

You cannot claim tax relief if your employer either gives you:

• all the money back
• an alternative, for example your employer gives you a laptop but you want a different type or model

You must have paid tax in the year. You’ll get tax relief based on what you’ve spent and the rate at which you pay tax.

For some claims, you must keep records of what you’ve spent. You must claim within 4 years of the end of the tax year that you spent the money.

If your claim is for the current tax year, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) will usually make any adjustments needed through your tax code.

If your claim is for previous tax years, HMRC will either make adjustments through your tax code or give you a tax refund.

Things they can include in your claim:

• Fuel used for visiting multiple locations.
• Bus tickets used for visiting multiple locations.
• Train tickets used for visiting multiple locations.
• Taxi fares used for visiting multiple locations.
• Bicycle use when visiting multiple locations.
• Meals bought on the road.
• Hotel stays.
• Car parking costs.
• Toll charges.
• DBS checks.
• Professional subscriptions.
• Washing of uniform.
• Working from home.
• Purchasing PPE.

Check here if you are entitled to claim