Uniform Tax Rebate
Work uniforms are a practical and basic feature for most businesses who work directly with the customer. Customers who are in contact with your customer representatives will be able to identify and further relate themselves with your company image, thereby building a closer relationship between themselves and your business. This helps promote an environment of professionalism and customer support.
In order to choose a comfortable work uniform, businesses must observe the daily needs of the average worker. For example, choosing a breathable fabric like blended cotton can be a great option for service companies who work outdoors for long amounts of time. Uniform variations like short sleeve and button-down shirts can be used for different events, while still promoting your company image in a professional manner.
Having workers in uniforms can also help all employees feel equal, this is more important of uniforms such as that of the police officers. In some businesses, employees may not be able to afford professional, work-worthy clothing. If that is the case, uniforms provide a level of equality, helping all employees feel comfortable, confident and more importantly equal. It can also help reduce competition in regard to what other employees are wearing, leading to less distraction to the actual work at hand.
Having employees wear uniforms is a matter of branding. Say if an employee wears their uniform whilst waiting for a bus, they are promoting your brand to anyone who walks past — and at the same time, showing the public the standards that your company sets for your employees. Uniforms can be a good way to demonstrate your company’s image.
When wearing a uniform you can claim for the expenses for the uniform this is called uniform tax rebate, and can be done directly which is very time consuming or via services. With the idea kept in mind that not only are they not yet capable of wearing something with such high honors or prestige, but that a uniform that is dirty, wrinkled, or anything else simply proves to those who are training these individuals that not only do you not care about the valor of the uniform. But you also do not care about those who have come before you and risked and given their lives daily in that uniform.
Do you have to wear a Uniform to work like a branded supermarket uniform, police Uniform or other Company Logo branded clothing? If so, and you must pay for the cost of washing and repairing it yourself, then you can claim a refund from the HMRC for all these expenses.
you can claim for up to five years of expenses. In this article, we will see who is eligible and how you can make a claim?
Are you eligible?
It doesn’t matter what kind of job you do as long as you wear a distinctive work clothing for e.g. a nurse or a fireman or if your uniform displays the logo of the company you work with. as long as you wear a recognizable uniform that displays you’re in a specific job then you could be eligible to make a claim.
you may be able to claim for even plain clothes that you wear only for work. However, the responsibility of buying, washing, repairing or replacing the uniform is entirely up to you. If you are getting allowances from your employer to washes your uniform or the company provides the facilities for you to do so then you won’t be eligible to claim. And needless to say that You’ll need to have paid income tax in the year that you’re claiming for as well.
How much can you get?
The amount of tax that you could claim depends on the job you are doing. The standard flat-rate expense allowance (FREA) wish are are set amounts that HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has agreed are typically spent each year by employees in different occupations.
If your occupation isn’t listed on the HMRC website, you may still be able to claim a standard annual amount of £60 in tax relief, however If your uniform has more specific requirements, then you will often get a higher allowance, the maximum is £140.
You can claim for the last four years plus the current year, as long as you’ve been wearing the uniform for this length of time. Once you claim, your tax code will change so that you’ll pay less tax in the future.
Making a claim
If you’re claiming a tax allowance for the first time or you paid out more than £1,000, you will need to Fill in the P87 form online, you can submit it online also there are a lot of websites that offer to do this for you, but as most charge a fee, you can avoid this by doing it yourself for free.
You can also claim by post, you’ll have to fill in the P87 form online and print it out and send it to Pay As You Earn, HM Revenue and Customs, BX9 1AS. Write ‘Repayment Claim’ on the envelope to speed things up. You’ll need to fill in one form for each year you’re claiming for.
On the P87 form you will asked information on:
- Employer’s name and address
- Your occupation, job title and industry sector
- Your details, including your National Insurance Number and your PAYE reference
- Whether you’re claiming flat rate expenses
- How you want to be paid – into your bank account or by cheque
You’ll need to fill in one form for each year that you are claiming for. Once your claim has been received and processed by HMRC, you’ll receive a letter telling you much you’re entitled to and when the money will be paid.
Usually, once you submit a reclaim your tax code should be adjusted to take future costs into account, so you shouldn’t need to reclaim again if you’ve done so before. However, if this doesn’t happen automatically and you’ve claimed on expenses of less than £1,000 before, then you should Call 0300 200 3300 – the phone line is open 8am to 8pm Monday to Friday, and 8am to 4pm on Saturday.
Please note that You can’t claim for the initial cost of buying the clothes. There are other tax-deductible expenses you may be able to claim, such as the cost of professional fees, specialist tools or travel for your job. See more on the other allowances on the HMRC website. For instance, practitioners also get a £12 allowance for shoes, £6 for tights and tax relief on professional subscriptions such as AfPP membership.
