Tax Rebate For Uniform Guide

Are you responsible for laundering your work uniform? Then you could claim a tax rebate on your uniform maintenance costs. 

Many taxpayers are required to wear a uniform, branded clothing or safety garments for work and most of us just care for these items as a matter of course. Many taxpayers don’t realise that they are entitled to claim back uniform tax relief on the cost of cleaning their work gear.

Our Uniform Tax Guide informs you of your tax relief entitlements and the process you need to follow to recoup your money.

Are you eligible to claim a tax rebate for your uniform?

To be able to claim you must:

  • Have to wear a branded uniform as part of your job like a nurse, firefighter, or a shop worker; in some cases a uniform with a detachable name badge may be allowed.
  • Pay for the laundry costs of caring for your uniform yourself.
  • Not receive reimbursement for these costs, or be provided with laundering facilities at work (even if you don’t use them).
  • Be a taxpayer in the year you make your claim.

How much is a uniform tax claim worth?

The minimum uniform allowance value is £60 per tax year, rising up to £720 depending on which industry you work in. Use our Free Uniform Tax Calculator to see what your claim could be worth.

Can I only submit a uniform rebate claim for the current tax year?

No. You can make a claim for the last four tax years even if you’ve changed employer in that time. Making a claim usually means your tax code updates for each future tax year as well so you don’t need to make a claim each year. If your circumstances change and you stop washing your own uniform you need to tell HMRC so they can remove the allowance from your tax code.

Do I already have the uniform allowance in my tax code?

You might already have the uniform allowance in your code. If you have, you don’t need to claim again. You should check your tax code before you claim, so you don’t waste any time or effort. You can check your tax code through your personal tax account or on your form P2 notice of coding.

Do any other work expenses tax allowances apply to me?

You may be able to include other applicable tax reliefs at the same time as claiming for your uniform. Some popular other tax reliefs include:

By adding all your entitlements together you can significantly increase the tax rebate you’re owed. You can use our other free tax and tax rebate guides to find out more.

How to claim a tax rebate for your uniform

If you are just just claiming for the washing of your uniform or protective clothing and not any other expenses you should be able to make a claim yourself without to much hassle. You can contact the tax office directly (by using the link at the bottom of this page) and should receive any tax rebate you are owed within about 8-12 weeks.

If you are claiming for other work expenses like the actual cost of tools and equipment or for business mileage the process does become more complex with evidence needing to be provided in a particular format.

Claiming for uniform tax relief on a P87 form

To claim for your uniform the tax office require a P87 form to be completed usually online. You can also print out the P87 and send it in by post to HMRC. You need to include all years of your claim for each employer on the form and be careful to select the correct flat rate expense for your job title and industry.

When the tax office process your P87 you should receive any tax rebate due for previous tax years either in the form of a cheque or a bank transfer. Sometimes your current tax code can be updated so you receive any tax rebate due by paying less tax in the current year. The tax office will also send you a P800 form detailing what they have done and how much you are owed in each tax year of your claim.



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