Healthcare Worker Tax Rebate Guide

Private sector and NHS healthcare professionals qualify for a Healthcare Worker Tax Rebate. We’ll make sure you get yours.

Whatever your specific role is, if you are a healthcare worker, then you are eligible to claim a Healthcare Worker Tax Rebate.

You undoubtedly spend some of your hard-earned wages on things that you may not consider to be ‘work expenses’.  For example, using your private vehicle for work journeys, or sticking your uniform in the washing machine.

More good news!

You are not just restricted to making a claim for this tax year –  you can backdate an initial claim for your last four taxpaying years. You continue to make this tax saving into the future as your tax code will be altered to take it into account.

See how the regulations apply to you and how to get through the process, with our free Healthcare Worker Tax Rebate guide.

Healthcare workers – what you can claim for…

We’ve listed below some of the most common expenses that workers within the health industry can claim a tax rebate for.

Rebate for professional fees

HMRC allows tax relief to be reclaimed on the cost of most professional bodies and some Unions, for example a nurse can make a claim for tax relief on their NMC and RCN membership fees.

Uniform tax 

If you need to wash your own work uniform, and the NHS or other employer doesn’t reimburse you or offer laundry facilities, this is an allowable expense.

The current uniform washing allowance for healthcare workers is worth £125 each tax year.

Rebate for the cost of shoes and tights

Tax relief is available for many healthcare workers who buy shoes and tights for work use, and aren’t reimbursed by their employer.

The current allowances are £6 for tights and £12 for shoes per tax year.

Tax relief for car use and business mileage

You can claim tax relief if you use your own vehicle to travel for work − for example, to visit patients in the community. You can’t claim for normal commuting to your permanent place of work.

You need to produce records of journeys, dates and mileages to make a successful claim for your full entitlement. If you don’t have these records, Tax Rebate Services has a high success rate in securing a business mileage tax rebate through negotiation with HMRC.

Tax relief for assets or equipment 

This tax relief covers items that have to be bought to enhance the performance of your employment duties, and must not have been provided by your employer. Examples could be a laptop or office desk.

This type of claim is made under the capital allowances rulings. If the purchase has a lifespan of more than two years, it will generally be allowed for tax relief by HMRC, but you’ll need a receipt or other proof of purchase. The time limit for making a claim depends on whether you’ve completed a Self Assessment tax return.

Use our free tax guides to find out more.

Healthcare worker tax rebate example

Dr Taylor used our website to find out if he was owed any tax relief on his work related expenses as an NHS Doctor.

After a quick review he made a claim for tax relief on his British Medical Association fees for the last three tax years achieving a £547 tax rebate. Dr Taylor is claiming for his General Medical Council fees and for a Stethoscope next year!

Widening Access Training Scheme

If you worked under the widening access training scheme from 1999 you could be owed a tax and national insurance refund. It applies to thousands of NHS staff including Doctors, Nurses and healthcare workers. Put simply, the scheme allowed for some tax and national insurance exemptions which the vast majority of NHS staff have no idea exist. Discover more about this in our WAT scheme tax rebate guide.

How to claim your Healthcare worker tax rebate

To claim your healthcare worker tax rebate you should contact HMRC who are also known as the tax office. You can start the process online and call HMRC if you have a problem with the process. When you have submitted your claim HMRC will review it and will let you know the outcome usually within about 8-12 weeks.



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