Get money back with a tax rebate on your work uniform

When you work in a job with a uniform, you may think it is easier as there are no tough choices about what to wear in a morning. However, the uniform you wear is mandatory and is usually bought, washed and repaired by yourself out of your wages.

There are ways that you may be able to reclaim £100’s for the last five years’ worth of expenses. Whether you have to wear a branded t-shirt/hoodie or you wear a full uniform like a nurse, police officer or pilot, there is a way for you to get a tax rebate on some of the costs of this uniform.

Before continuing you should be aware that you can’t claim for the initial cost of buying the clothes but there are many other instances when you can claim.

You are eligible to claim if all of the following apply:

• You wear a uniform which is recognisable and that shows you work in a certain role, such as a nurse or police officer.
• You are required to wear this uniform while you are working
• You paid income tax in the year you are claiming for
• You have to purchase, clean, repair or replace it yourself. However, you can’t claim if your employer washes your uniform, provides the facilities to do so or pays you for uniform maintenance.

If you are in the armed forces, the maintenance of your uniform should be dealt with through your tax code. For the police force, this is very much dependent on which force you are part of. Some already claim, some have facilities and others currently have nothing in place.

The amount you are able to claim back is dependent on your industry first and foremost. The standard flat rate expense allowance (FREA) for uniform maintenance is currently £60 in 2016/17. As a result of FREA, basic rate taxpayers can claim back £12 a year and higher rate taxpayers can claim £24.

You can also back date your claim for the previous four years, including the current year. So this means that a basic rate taxpayer can claim standard uniform allowance of £60 for 2012-2016.

Once you have registered for this, your tax code will change so you will pay less tax in future to compensate for your uniform costs.

What to be aware of:

• If your employer has paid back your expenses, you can’t claim tax relief.
• Some occupations, especially those with specialist uniforms, get a maximum allowance of £140.
• A higher rate taxpayer will receive £56 a year back on their claim.
• To get more than the standard payment, you need to prove your annual uniform laundry bill is higher.
• For any claim to receive tax back on your uniform, you need to fill in a P87 form.

It is easy to claim your tax back on your uniform but dependent on your situation there are different ways to do this. If you are claiming for the first time, you should fill in a P87 form; whereas if you are reclaiming you can ring or fill in the form again.

To find out more about the claiming process and to see what you are eligible to claim, visit Gov.UK’s website.

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