HMRC allows teachers to claim back tax relief on a variety of work expenses and Peripatetic teachers have some rather niche options available to them
- Maybe you teach music in 2 or 3 different schools.
- Maybe you provide specialist support for children with additional needs in a couple of schools in your borough.
- Maybe you are the travelling PPA cover with their massive, ‘something-for-everyone-just- in-case-there’s-no-planning’ bag!
Whichever kind of marvelous experience you provide for your students, as a peripatetic teacher you are entitled to some tax reliefs on your work related expenses. And can we just say – kudos on retaining all of those names so very quickly!
What can a Peripatetic teacher claim a tax rebate for?
There are a few, complex tax regulations. But these are some of the most common tax reliefs that can be secured by peripatetic teachers:
- Professional body and Union fees
Many Trade Unions and professional bodies, like the NUT and NASUWT, have an agreement with HMRC which means that you are allowed to reclaim the tax paid on their membership fees.
- Specialist clothing
In this instance, your sports kit that you are obliged to wear if you are teaching P.E. or Sports lessons as part of your contract.
- Laundering said specialist clothing
If you are not provided with laundry facilities or reimbursed for washing your ‘specialist clothing’ then you can make a claim. This is worth £60.00 per year.
- Working from home
For this to be allowable it must be defined as a necessity of your contract, not just more convenient for you. Without receipts, you are entitled to £4.00 per week and it is designed to cover utility costs, not mortgage or rent payments.
- Using your own car
This does not mean a regular commute to and from a permanent place of work. But any work travel you do between employment locations does entitle you to a claim. For example; between schools, to a meeting at a different school, to INSET days, to CPD conferences…the list continues. You need to keep a log of dates and distances to evidence your claim.
- Reference materials
Reference books purchased to research the subject matter you are teaching can sometimes be claimed for. For example, Year 2 is learning about the Great Fire of London next term and you know nothing beyond ‘it wiped out the plague’, so you buy Samuel Pepys’ diary and an easy looking textbook to prepare.
How do I claim a Peripatetic teacher tax rebate?
Our teacher tax rebate guide gives you a breakdown of what you can claim a tax rebate for and how to start your teacher tax rebate claim with HMRC.
Tony Shanks