What is it?

Since the pandemic started, many people have been forced to work from home which has caused an increase in household bills. The Government is providing tax relief on £6 per week all the way back to April 2020 to help alleviate some of the pain of this. The amount you can claim is linked to your normal tax rate; so, if you’re a basic tax rate payer (20%), then you claim tax relief of 20% on the £6 per week giving you £1.20 per week.

This does not cover any costs that would have existed, regardless of Coronavirus e.g. mortgage interest and council tax etc.

Am I eligible?

There are a small number of criteria that you need to meet in order to benefit from this relief. If the answers to all of these questions is Yes, then you’re eligible!

• Do you work from home on a regular basis as a result of Coronavirus? (If you choose to work from home, you’re not eligible under this scheme)
• Are you, at least partly, covering the costs of working from home? (i.e. your business has not provided any kind of package or payment to help cover these costs)
• Are you claiming relief for fewer than 5 separate jobs? (if you want to claim for more than 5 separate jobs, you need to do this via post with the appropriate forms and evidence)

How do I do it?

Head to the Gov.uk website and follow the instructions.

You can claim as far back as April 2020, so if restrictions continue until June 21^st and you’ve been working from home for the whole pandemic, this could amount to over £75 in tax relief!

Note: If you complete a self-assessment tax return, you’ll need to claim this relief through your tax return, rather than through this route. Follow the guidance on the website for the details on this process

And another thing!

If you’ve also had to purchase equipment to be able to work at home and your company hasn’t covered these costs, you may also be eligible for tax relief on these purchases too! Check out the guidance here!