There are now almost 10 million people who work from home and can benefit from the tax-free allowance of £6 per week (£26 per month) which their employer may choose to pay.
Employers can reimburse larger amounts to home-based employees if the employees can prove that their increased variable costs from working at home, including heating, exceed £6 per week.
If you do not receive a homeworking allowance and you are required to work at home by your employer, you can claim a tax deduction of £6 per week from HMRC. However you must have a homeworking agreement in place with your employer which sets out the conditions under which you work from home.
Where your extra costs of working at home are higher than £6 per week you can claim a deduction from HMRC for the actual additional costs. With electricity and gas bills climbing, the cost of heating a room to work in may well exceed £6 per week. HMRC may ask to see proof of those costs so keep the bills as evidence.
You can claim the homeworking deduction on your self-assessment tax return or by using the online form P87. Where a similar claim has been made in an earlier year you can renew that claim by phoning HMRC.
We can help you calculate the additional costs of working at home.
