TEACHERS & ASSISTANTS.

Teachers and other education professionals can claim Tax Reliefs on costs such as professional subscriptions and other work-related expenses. Depending on your circumstances, claims can be backdated to cover the last 4 tax years, so don’t miss out on what you are entitled to.

PROFESSIONAL FEES & SUBSCRIPTIONS.

If you have previously paid fees to a General Teaching Council, you may be able to claim back on this cost. Tax can be claimed back on all UK General Teaching Council fees, including those that are now obsolete. If you are eligible for a tax relief. it is therefore important that you submit a claim to HMRC. 

UNIFORM TAX REBATES FOR TEACHERS.

If you're a Physical Education Teacher or have to teach or supervise any other sports lessons, tax relief can be claimed on sportswear and equipment that you purchased yourself. You may also be eligible if you have to wash any specialist clothing or uniform. HMRC allows expenses deductions for the cost of both maintaining and replacing games kit. 

MILEAGE ALLOWANCE FOR TEACHERS.

If you're a teacher who needs to travel different schools in order to perform your duties, you may be entitled to claim for business mileage.

This is not available for general commuting between home and a permanent place of employment however if you're Peripatetic teacher working in more than one school or college you may be eligible.

NHS HEALTH WORKERS. 

If you work in the NHS or private healthcare industry, then you could be eligible for a tax rebate.

Healthcare workers, nurses, midwives, and other healthcare employees are a sector that is eligible to claim tax relief for certain expenses they accrue as part of their job. This potential tax relief can add up to hundreds of pounds and can be fully reclaimed by submitting a claim to HMRC. OCC software allows you to complete that claim online without paying any fees to a third party, reclaiming all of your rebates. 

UNIFORM CLEANING ALLOWANCE NURSES. 

If you wear a uniform to work and your employer provides no laundry facilities, you can claim a tax allowance every year for the cost of cleaning your uniform. The amount you can claim depends on your occupation; the details below list the allowances for some occupation.

OCCUPATIONAL ALLOWANCES.

Ambulance staff on active services £140.

Nurses, midwives, dental nurses, therapists, healthcare assistants £100.

Orderlies, porters, ward clerks, supply workers, domestics & catering staff £100.

Laboratory staff, pharmacists, and pharmacy assistants £60.

Ancillary staff, maintenance workers, grounds staff, drivers, parking attendants, security guards, receptionists & other uniformed staff £60. As this is a flat rate allowance, you don’t need to provide receipts or any proof of the actual cost of cleaning your uniform.

PROFESSIONAL FEES & SUBSCRIPTIONS.

If you pay fees to professional bodies or unions such as Unison, RCN, NMC, HCPC, or SSSC, or if you pay professional indemnity insurance (eg to Medical Protection Society) you can claim tax relief every year on these costs. HMRC will normally allow you to claim 20% of the cost of these expenses.

MILLEAGE ALLOWNACE RELIEF. 

If you pay fees to professional bodies or unions such as Unison, RCN, NMC, HCPC, or SSSC, or if you pay professional indemnity insurance (e.g., to Medical Protection Society) you can claim tax relief every year on these costs. HMRC will normally allow you to claim 20% of the cost of these expenses.

SHOES STOCKINGS & TIGHTS ALLOWANCE. 

You can claim an allowance of £12/year if you are required to wear special types of shoes (e.g., non-slip) in the workplace. If you are required to wear stocking/tights (or socks for men) of a particular colour, then you can claim additional tax relief of £6/year. Over a number of years this can all add up, you can use OCC to check if you are due a rebate.

POLICE TAX REBATES. 

If you work for the police force you could potentially be eligible for a tax rebate covering the past four years.

FLAT RATE TAX RELIEF FOR POLICE OFFICERS. 

Most officers are entitled to claim a special flat-rate tax allowance of £140 every year. If you pay tax at the basic rate (20%), this means you could save £28 per year by claiming this relief. You can also claim this back for the last 4 years, so could potentially receive a cash rebate of £112 if you have not claimed it before.

THE FOLLOWING RANKS ARE ELIGIBLE:

Police Community Support Officer (PCSO)

Constable

Sergeant

Inspector

Chief Inspector

All police officers in the above ranks can apply.

If you’re a member of the Police Federation (PolFed), you are entitled to claim tax relief on your monthly subscription (presently £21.58/month).

POLICE FEDERATION & OTHER SUBSCRIPTIONS.

The tax saving per year is calculated at £52, so you can claim a tax rebate of appx £208 if you have subscribed for the last 4 years and have not submitted a claim

Also, if you work for the Metropolitan Police, the tax relief for Police Federation is provided at source through your wages so you cannot make an additional tax rebate claim for Police Federation costs.

If you don’t fall into one of the ranks listed above but are required to wear a uniform to work, you can still make a claim. You can claim a rebate of £48 if claiming for the last 4 years. You can only claim if your employer does not contribute towards the cost of cleaning your uniform.

FOR OTHER UN-UNIFORMED OFFICERS.

If you don’t fall into one of the ranks listed above but are required to wear a uniform to work, you can still make a claim. You can claim a rebate of £48 if claiming for the last 4 years. You can only claim if your employer does not contribute towards the cost of cleaning your uniform.

AIRLINE CREW.

If you work in the airline industry, you could claim a tax rebate of up to £1000 or more.

FLAT RATE CABIN CREW ALLOWANCE.

If you work for an airline and your employer doesn’t contribute towards the cost of cleaning your uniform, you are eligible to claim a tax rebate from HMRC.

All uniformed employees are entitled to tax relief for uniform cleaning, but the allowances for cabin crew are some of the most generous available.

UNIFORM CLEANING ALLOWANCE.

Cabin crew can generally claim flat-rate tax relief of £720 for the most recent tax year.

Prior to this, it was £420 per year. This allowance is designed to give you tax relief on the cost of cleaning and maintaining your uniform.

As this is a fixed allowance for cabin crew, HMRC has confirmed you don’t need to provide any receipts or proof of actual expenditure incurred in order to claim

VISAS & VACCINATIONS. 

UNIFORMED WORKERS. 

If you wear a uniform or protective clothing to work, then you are eligible to apply for a tax rebate.

SUCH REBATES ARE AVAILABLE TO:

Retail staff Hospitality & Catering.

Nurses, doctors, dentists, and other healthcare workers.

Police officers.

Airline staff, cabin crew & pilots.

Public transport - Train drivers, conductors, bus drivers.

Engineers & Mechanics.

Builders, Plumbers, Joiners.

Teachers who are required to teach P.E.

Anyone else that wears a uniform to work!

HOW MUCH CAN I CLAIM?

The amount you can claim depends on your job. If claiming for the full four years, the standard rebate for most employees is £48.

However, for certain professions, HMRC has agreed to higher allowances.

If you wear a uniform to work (for example nurse attire, police uniform, or even simply a shirt with the company logo) which you have to wash and maintain yourself, you could be eligible to claim a rebate for the last four years of up to £300.

CAN I CLAIM ANYTHING ELSE?

As well as a uniform cleaning allowance, you can claim a tax rebate for most expenses you have incurred as part of your job.

E.g., HMRC will usually allow you to claim back 20% of the cost of any equipment or tools purchased, as well as fees paid to professional organisations such as Unison, NMC, RCN, and HCPC.

MECHANICS & ENGINEERS. 

Tool Tax Rebate for Mechanics Regardless of the industry you work in, if you pay for your own tools, then you'll be eligible for a tool tax rebate.

This is really handy for those working as mechanics, auto technicians and engineers who could be entitled to a nice chunk of money back at the end of each financial year. 

With average first-time rebates of around £900, you could be lining the taxman’s pockets by not claiming your allowance, so read on to find how you can go about claiming your tool tax rebate and start thinking about all of the things you could spend that cash on.

HOW MUCH CAN I GET BACK?

At the moment, the amount that you can claim back on tools stands at around 20% of the initial purchase value including VAT.

So, if you’ve spent £2000 on a shiny new high-end toolbox, then you can expect to receive £400 back as a tool tax rebate. Not too shabby, is it?

Example:  Jamie has been a mechanic at a fast-fit center for 4 years. During this time, he has spent £3600 on hand tools and £1100 on a toolbox. By making a Capital Allowance claim on his tools, Jamie can expect to receive a tax rebate of around £988. The actual amount will depend on several factors, including the date of purchase as well as how much tax you have paid through your wages.

You must meet the following basic requirements: You pay tax on your wages through PAYE. You are required to buy your own tools in order to do your job. Your employer does not reimburse you for the tools.

The good news is that major tools dealers such as Snap-On and Mac can easily print out your full purchase history if you ask nicely! If you buy your tools online, email order confirmations can also be accepted as proof of purchase.

Yes, in order to prove that your claim for a tool tax rebate is all above board, you’ll need to provide receipts for any tools that you buy through the course of the year.

WHAT IF THE TOOLS ARE ON FINANCE?

Financing the tools mechanics need for their trade is common, and the good news is that no matter how you choose to pay for your tools, you’ll still be able to claim tax on the full purchase price.

Add an added bonus, you’ll even be able to claim extra tax back on the interest you’ve paid. Just remember that in order to claim back any interest on financed tools, you'll need to be able to provide a copy of your finance agreement – so keep it safe!

This is the best bit. If you've never claimed for a tools tax rebate, we can also backdate your claim to make sure that you receive everything that you are legally entitled to. As long as you can produce the receipts, we can help you get the amount you're owed easily.

WHAT TYPE OF TOOL ALLOWANCES ARE AVAILABLE?

The government has set a ‘Flat Rate Expense’ allowance of £120 for tools for those in the mechanics and auto-technician trade, but don't worry if you've spent over this amount because there is another way, we can help you get the tool tax rebate you deserve.

The Capital Allowance option means that claims over and above £120 are handled a little differently, but you can still claim around 20% of the amount back which can certainly start to add up if you’ve been buying a fair few tool.

THAT SOUNDS TRICKY! IS THERE A LOT OF PAPERWORK TO FILL OUT?

For purchases made over 4 years ago, you may be required to spread the allowance over several years. Can I get an idea of how much I could get back on my tool tax rebate before I start the process?

If your employer has reimbursed you for the cost of the tools, d you won’t be able to claim any rebate on these items as it's your employer who's footed the bill for the items, even if you paid for them first and they gave you the money back at a later date.

IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE I COULD CLAIM?

In addition to claiming for your tools, you may also be able to claim a small uniform laundry allowance if you are required to wash your overalls / protective clothing at your own expense (i.e. at home).