A lot of people also wear uniforms that they don’t think “counts” as a uniform. At least not in the traditional sense. For example, such as a tie that you might only wear to work. But you can still claim money back for such items. And if you’re confused about what the uniform tax allowance covers and what it doesn’t — we can help. Our experts will always aim to win you back the maximum uniform rebate you’re entitled to. Based on all the clothes you wear to work.

You have to wear a special type of “work clothing” or protective clothing to go to work.

The laundry, general upkeep and replacement costs come out of your own pocket.

You are currently paying tax on your PAYE wages. Or you have paid tax on your PAYE wages in the last four years.

The rules that affect uniform benefits can differ slightly depending on the work setting and industry you are in. But if you meet the three points above, then it is very likely that you will be owed a HMRC uniform tax rebate.

It’s also important to know that you only get tax relief for repairing, cleaning, or replacing your uniform. You don’t get an allowance for buying the uniform clothes needed for the job.

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The amount you can claim back depends on the line of work you are in. For example, healthcare workers can often claim back a good amount: approximately £185 a year. And because HMRC uniform tax rebate claims often stretch back over a four year period, this means that some healthcare workers can have a claim of around £740 .

In other job circumstances, where cleaning and hygiene don’t have the same focus, tax relief for washing uniforms can start from around £60 a year.

If it sounds complicated, that’s because the government doesn’t really want you to know how to get your money back. So if you have any questions about your uniform tax situation, just give us a call or a text — or send an email, and we’ll be happy to clear things up. And we can also help you to get the highest uniform washing allowance possible.

What Qualifies for a Uniform Tax Rebate in HMRC’s Eyes?

The HMRC is a bit vague about what it thinks ‘counts’ as uniform. But the advice they offer is always the same:

- Your ‘uniform’ should be protective clothing that you need to wear in order to work safely.
- Your uniform must be a specific type of clothing that you only wear to work in.

Some quick examples include construction overalls, goggles, steel-plated work shoes, gloves, hardhats, and so on. Even though many of those items — such as goggles — aren’t really “clothes” at all.

And if you have to wear clothing with your employer or contractor’s name on it, that also usually counts.

You can also claim uniform benefits if you are required to change clothes during your shift. For example, a PE teacher who has to alternate between sports clothing and regular clothing may be able to claim back HMRC uniform tax.

What DOESN’T Qualify for a Uniform Tax?

You can only claim tax back for uniform if it’s essential clothing that you need in order to do your job. You won’t get any money back if you can go to work in your ordinary clothes. And in many cases, even ‘ordinary clothing’ that you would never wear out of work may not be eligible for a uniform tax refund. For example, it might be that your workplace encourages its staff to wear a business suit. But that still might not qualify for the uniform tax refund.

The bottom line is — If HMRC thinks you could wear it outside of the workplace, then they won’t payout. After all, you could wear a suit outside of work. But even HMRC understand that most people are unlikely to casually wear their retail or construction-site garments in their free time.

There are other reasons why HMRC might not payout:
- If your employer provides free laundry facilities
- If your boss already takes care of your tax rebate uniform situation
- If there’s some other way that you could do your laundry for free

Because there is so much ambiguity around what counts as uniform and what doesn’t, there is the potential to claim uniform tax back — even if you don’t think you are entitled to a rebate.But HMRC will also eagerly punish anyone who tries to claim uniform tax if they’re not eligible.

So if you have any questions about tax rebate uniform benefits, just get in touch. Our experts will make sure you won’t get punished for claiming uniform relief if you aren’t eligible. And we won’t charge you a penny if we find out you aren’t entitled to a uniform tax rebate.

If you think you’re paying a lot more than most people do on maintaining and repairing your uniform — then, by all means, keep records or receipts when you can.

In most instances, HMRC is actually quite relaxed about the “proof” you need to have. Because it recognises that keeping receipts for laundry would be very difficult to precisely do.

After all, in order to calculate how much you spend on maintaining your uniform, you would need to work out:
- How much washing detergent you spent on only washing your uniform
- How much of your water and electricity bills were spent on uniform upkeep

And more! Because of this, HMRC actually has pre-set flat rates to make things a lot easier.

YOU CAN ALSO GET UNIFORM TAX RELIEF FOR TOOLS & EQUIPMENT YOU ALREADY OWN - IF YOU USE THEM FOR WORK

For example, lots of builders and mechanics own their own industry-specific tools, vehicles — such as vans — and machines. And because they tend to be very expensive to run and maintain, there’s a good chance you’ll be able to claim money back on their upkeep.

(And if you’re working in construction, you may also be eligible for other types of tax rebates. Such as a CIS tax return and even some mileage tax relief. )

HERE'S HOW TO CLAIM UNIFORM TAX WHEN YOU'RE SELF-EMPLOYED

The uniform tax refund scheme only really applies to people under the PAYE tax return system. But that doesn’t rule out some other way of claiming uniform benefits.

Most self-employed people use Self Assessment tax returns to report their income and outgoings to HMRC. You can declare all of your essential work costs there, and you may be eligible to bring your taxes down with a uniform declaration.

It can be tricky to sort out uniform tax rebates when you’re self-employed, however. That’s why we have a special service designed to help self-employed people looking for their own version of the HMRC uniform tax.

Our experts will be glad to look into this for you. And if you aren’t owed anything, we won’t charge you a penny! We will chase HMRC for you, for FREE.

IF YOU WORK IN ONE OF THESE JOB INDUSTRIES, THEN YOU'RE AUTOMATICALLY ABLE TO CLAIM HMRC UNIFORM TAX

If you work as one of the following professions, you can breathe easy. Claiming your uniform rebate should be a breeze:

• Joiners or Carpenters
• Police Officers
• Firefighters
• Plumbers
• Nurses
• Mechanics

But it should be noted that HMRC does not view all of these professions equally. And they might offer a different flat rate expense allowance depending on what job it is that you have. (For example, HMRC will likely think that a nurse will spend more on laundry than a joiner).

Get my Uniform Tax Refund!

HOW DO I KNOW I HAVEN'T ALREADY RECEIVED A UNIFORM TAX REBATE?

Everyone working under the PAYE scheme in the UK gets a personal allowance by default. This does not normally include adjustments for uniform tax relief. But sometimes adjustments are made, which can include your uniform tax refund allowance.

To find out, take a look at your payslips. If you have not paid anything other than the bog-standard personal allowance, your PAYE codes for each year should look like this:

• Year ending 5 April 2020 — 1250L
• Year ending 5 April 2019 — 1250L
• Year ending 5 April 2018 — 1150L
• Year ending 5 April 2017 — 1100L

So if you see the above codes on your payslips, and if you have personally covered the costs of cleaning and looking after your uniform, tools and so on — you could be owed money.

WHO PAYS FOR MY UNIFORM REBATE?

Not your employer. Not even the HMRC, either. All you’re really doing is getting back money that you’ve earned. That you shouldn’t really have given to HMRC in the first place.

All that will happen if you get a uniform tax rebate is that your employer will deduct less tax from your wages. HMRC directly pays the money back to you. If your claim is successful.

Fuel
Expenses

Licenses

Visas

Vaccinations

Professional Subscriptions

Travelling to Temporary Workplaces

Sorting out your own taxes is often time-consuming, boring and hard to do. And because lots of people don’t really know how to do it, they still end up getting underpaid by the taxman.

Our uniform rebate experts won’t let you get short-changed. We will closely look at all of your tax details, in order to win you back the maximum uniform rebate you’re entitled to.

Remember this is the money that you have earned and that you deserve. So if you’re looking for how to claim back uniform tax, look no further. Don’t let your hard-earned wages sit around at HMRC when it could be in your pockets.

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Who can claim uniform tax?

If your employer makes you wear a uniform, and if you have to wash it yourself, then you should be able to claim uniform tax. You can also claim uniform tax on protective items such as goggles and hardhats, and tools if you bought them for work.

However, lots of people could be eligible for a uniform tax return without even realising it. This is because the government isn’t super-clear in its guidelines as to what it considers ‘uniform’. Meaning you could be owed money by the taxman, even if you don’t think what you wear to work ‘counts’ as a uniform.

In that case, it’s better to check. At Tommy’s Tax, we will check to see if you’re owed a uniform tax rebate for FREE. And it only takes minutes to provide us with the information to check.

How do I claim NHS uniform tax?

If you work for the NHS and have to wash your own uniform, then you should be eligible for a uniform tax rebate. For NHS workers, you can also claim money back for your shoes, and if you wear tights to work. But only if you have to wear a prescribed style or colour (such as black shoes).

You cannot claim NHS uniform tax if your local NHS employer has laundry facilities onsite that you can use.

Ambulance staff on active service normally get the most money. But generally, anyone wearing an NHS uniform will be entitled to a good uniform rebate.

Can you claim work shoes on tax?

Only nurses and midwives can claim a tax rebate for shoes. They can also claim for replacing socks and underwear. No one else can claim a tax rebate for shoes, socks or underwear.

HMRC don’t allow for tax relief on what they see as ‘everyday clothing’. Because in their eyes, you don’t strictly have to wear those clothes to work.

What is the Uniform Tax Code?

The tax code is 1006L. If you’ve made a successful claim for a uniform tax rebate, then you should get a new tax code. This new code should appear just before or after your claim completes. Get in touch today and we can help.

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UNIFORM TAX REBATE CALCULATOR

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