Tax Relief on Uniform Cleaning Expenses

Did you know that if you are a taxpayer and you wear a branded uniform or protective clothing for work you can claim tax-relief at a set-rate towards the cost of cleaning it?  

At Hotel Chocolat this applies if you wear an HC branded shirt for work, for example Retail Stores/Cafes, Alpha & Beta Distribution Centres, IT Support etc.  

The set-rate of tax relief is £60 per year which for a basic rate taxpayer equates to a tax rebate of £12.  

To qualify:

• you must wear a branded uniform for work that you have to launder yourself at home 
• you must earn enough to pay tax 
• and not have the tax relief already included in your personal allowance  

You don’t need to have kept records of how much you’ve spent on cleaning if you claim the set-rate relief.

You can make backdated claims for up to 4 years if it applies to you for previous years that you haven’t claimed for.  If you claim 4 years’ worth then you could receive a rebate of up to £48.

It’s free and easy to make a claim through HMRC.  

If you have a Personal Tax Account you can access and send form P87 to HMRC online by opening the Pay As You Earn (PAYE) section, and clicking on ‘Tax relief for expenses of employment’. 

Alternatively you can claim by post by completing the on-screen form then print it and post it to HMRC, or see www.gov.uk/tax-relief-for-employees for further details.