Do you get any money back for working from home?

[-]

Ben_Woodward@reddit

Lots of people saying this isn't worth it. I was working exclusively from home for a business with no office, for 9 years. From 2017->2020 i got a cheque for somewhere in the region of £1100. I claimed again about 6 months ago for 2020->2024 and got £680 ish. I remember claiming somewhere in the region of £300 a year (£240 of which was made up of using home as office, cant remember the rest). I would say that's worth it.

Reply

[-]

budapest_budapest@reddit

I think for most people, the savings and general quality of life improvements from not commuting are enough that they’re not going to jeopardise their WFH arrangement but asking for more.

Reply

[-]

RobCarrol75@reddit

It's genuinely not worth the additional paperwork and hassle.

Reply

[-]

IndigoQuantum@reddit

Depends… if you’re already having to submit a tax return then it’s barely any extra effort

Reply

[-]

GL510EX@reddit

You don't even have to submit a return, you can add it into your tax code separately. Same with uniform allowances etc.

Reply

[-]

mumwifealcoholic@reddit

My employer pays for our broadband and electricity. I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Reply

[-]

clickyclicky456@reddit

Yes, if you file a tax return you can claim relief for working from home. It's not a huge amount and there are fairly strict rules to qualify (and you have to go to the hassle of filing a return - if you normally just do all your tax through PAYE it's not worth it, but if you're doing a tax return anyway you might as well). The rules are here: https://www.gov.uk/tax-relief-for-employees/working-at-home

Reply

[-]

schmerg-uk@reddit

I'm not really interested in claiming the expenses (happy to save the commuting costs etc) but I always think the "*You* ***can't*** *claim if your employer has an office, but you cannot go there sometimes because it’s full*" is a bit cheeky - we have physical space for only so many employees (and this goes back to before the pandemic) and so I'm expected to go in about once a week, but our team of about 150 only has an allocation of about 40 desks and I have to prebook my desk weeks in advance...

Reply

[-]

8bitPete@reddit

How about car fuel relief by not having to drive to work each day. Or Public transport relief due to to staying home all day. Yer im jealous, and what!

Reply

[-]

redunculuspanda@reddit

Sounds good. Fewer people on the roads and public transport at rush hour is a win for everyone.

Reply

[-]

Boboshady@reddit

You can either work out your exact usage - and it does have to be exact, you can't just say "I use this bedroom for work, so 20% off all my bills please" - you should expect the taxman to really query any claims of any significant amount in this regard. OR, because HMRC know so many people used to take the piss with it, they now offer a standard amount which you can claim and all you really need to prove is that you need work from home, if you're even queried about it. Note, if working from home is purely a choice for you, you can't claim it. See here for amounts and rules around claiming: [https://www.gov.uk/tax-relief-for-employees/working-at-home](https://www.gov.uk/tax-relief-for-employees/working-at-home)

Reply

[-]

EntrepreneurAway419@reddit

My contract is WFH, got £187 cheque last week for the last 5 years (inc 2 lots of maternity which meant not a full year worked)

Reply

[-]

Avon_gent@reddit

It's so little it's hardly worth the time to work out what you can get back and apply for it.

Reply

[-]

Jcw28@reddit

I'll put this in simple English: Yes, but only if your employer makes you work from home (e.g. because there is no physical office.) The rule got changed a few years ago because a billion people made work from home allowance claims because of COVID, and then continued to make tenuous claims once COVID ended. It used to be a bit more loosely defined. Whether / how HMRC check I don't really know, but it isn't worth taking the piss for £60-120 of relief.

Reply

[-]

QuickTemperature7014@reddit

Do you have to work from home or you choose to?

Reply

[-]

GL510EX@reddit

Yes you can, you just login to the personal tax account [Personal tax account: sign in or set up - GOV.UK](https://www.gov.uk/personal-tax-account) Under PAYE Go to "Other income, allowances, employment benefits and deductions" You can add a 'Job Expense' here. This will update your tax code.

Reply

[-]

Spiritual_Loss_7287@reddit

[https://www.gov.uk/tax-relief-for-employees/working-at-home](https://www.gov.uk/tax-relief-for-employees/working-at-home)

Reply

[-]

AutoModerator@reddit

**Please help keep AskUK welcoming!** - When replying to submission/post please **make genuine efforts to answer the question given**. Please no jokes, judgements, etc. If a post is marked 'Serious Answers Only' **you may receive a ban for violating this rule**. - **Don't be a dick** to each other. If getting heated, just block and move on. - This is a strictly **no-politics** subreddit! Please help us by reporting comments that break these rules. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/AskUK) if you have any questions or concerns.*

Reply

Do you get any money back for working from home?

Reply to Post

18 Comments

Ben_Woodward@reddit

budapest_budapest@reddit

RobCarrol75@reddit

IndigoQuantum@reddit

GL510EX@reddit

mumwifealcoholic@reddit

clickyclicky456@reddit

schmerg-uk@reddit

8bitPete@reddit

redunculuspanda@reddit

Boboshady@reddit

EntrepreneurAway419@reddit

Avon_gent@reddit

Jcw28@reddit

QuickTemperature7014@reddit

GL510EX@reddit

Spiritual_Loss_7287@reddit

AutoModerator@reddit