£6 tax relief per week for home working costs - a pittance?

[suggestionsplease1]

I'm just trying to get my head around this - so if you're forced into home working due to Covid you can claim tax relief on £6/week for additional expenses due to extra heating/ electricity use....so for a 20% tax payer that amounts to getting back £1.20 per week?!

My additional expenditure on gas/electric due to Covid will far exceed that, as I imagine most people's will....is this not a bit of a cop out?!

There seems to be something about employers can make this additional £6 payment per week to staff as well - that hasn't happened for us - is it really happening for employees elsewhere?

Finally, I'm going to try to put in more accurate figures as I have to fill in self assessments anyway, but I am hampered by the fact that I don't have a smart meter. I thought one way to do it would be to compare a previous year's expenditure when I wasn't working from home with the present year's expenditure - would that be acceptable as proof of additional costs do you think? (I know there's only going to be about 6/7 weeks worth of homeworking to account for for this self assessment but it will be more relevant for next years 31st Jan deadline.)

[MyGazeboisLeaking]

From my perspective, i am saving an enormous amount on time and commuting costs, so my savings far outweigh any additional heating bills etc.

I feel very privileged to be able to work from home so won't be complaining.

[RosesAndHellebores]

My organisation may go bust op. How much are you saving on bus/train fares - other work costs? I haven't bought any clothes or shoes since 23rd March for example. Also there are 4 of here at present and the heating would be on anyway.

It's tough I realise but it has to be looked at in the round.

[Pinkdelight3]

I've been self-employed wfh for years and it's always been a pittance. Covid hasn't changed this, except that now more people know it. As @MyGazeboisLeaking says, you have to weigh it up against the other advantages.

[TitsOot4Xmas]

Depends on your business/self employment. They wouldn’t ordinarily be allowable expenses.

[VinterKvinna]

so how much are you paying to get to work now(and how much time) ? How much are you spending on lunches, or new clothes?

Would you rather be working, or unemployed?

[Handsnotwands]

We claim directly through our employer but it’s either / or not both

[arethereanyleftatall]

Wow, I can't believe they're giving a rebate for this. Unbelievably generous given how much we all need to pay back. I can't imagine that there are very many people at all who are paying more out in electricity than they're getting back through not paying travel costs and time. Wow. Yabu.

[suggestionsplease1]

Well I can see depending on overall circumstances it will be meaningful to people in differing degrees. If you would rather be in working (I live alone so miss company, and all extra costs are borne by me alone) and have no travel costs because of walking/ cycling then it's a different situation compared to others who have saved hundreds /thousands on commuting and other costs and quite enjoy homeworking.

[m0therofdragons]

But you save on commuting

[user1497787065]

Preferable to being furloughed in April and made redundant is September as I was. I think in the current circumstances one has to be careful what one complains about.

[Whatdoyoudowhendemocracyfails]

Not everyone pays hundreds a month to commute. I cycled, it cost me nothing to get to work. I am making no savings to offset a 75/month increase in my gas bill. So I don’t turn the heating on.

Yes, I’m glad to have a job. But I am miserable AF sitting in the freezing cold trying to type.

[m0therofdragons]

It’s £6 a week so how are you making it £1.20? Sorry I’m confused by the maths.

[maddiemookins16mum]

We’ll be submitting our P87 in April for this, even if it covers 1 month of our increased bills it will be worth it.

[arethereanyleftatall]

In all honesty op, I think there will be a tiny tiny tiny percentage of people who are losing out financially in this particular situation.

[Whatdoyoudowhendemocracyfails]

@arethereanyleftatall

Wow, I can't believe they're giving a rebate for this. Unbelievably generous given how much we all need to pay back. I can't imagine that there are very many people at all who are paying more out in electricity than they're getting back through not paying travel costs and time. Wow. Yabu.

How much did you pay to get to work then? Was it more than 75 quid a month?

[SweetpeaMidnight]

It is but I believe you can claim more, it just gets more complicated whereas the min £6 a wk is quick and easy

[Whatdoyoudowhendemocracyfails]

@m0therofdragons

It’s £6 a week so how are you making it £1.20? Sorry I’m confused by the maths.

It’s tax relief on 6 quid, not six quid back in your pocket.

[SingANewSongChickenTikka]

My employer pays a wfh allowance, it’s a contractual perk though. Not a huge amount by any stretch, but as I’m saving on travel, work lunches, new clothes etc I’m pretty happy with that.

[EastWater]

It's tax relief OF £6 a week, not ON.
I applied recently and they changed my tax code. I'll pay about £300 less tax between now and end of the tax year as I've been WFH since March.

[Theunamedcat]

My heating and electricity costs have tripled

[sashagabadon]

I think it’s a bit much to be complaining. I still have to go to work but my kids are at home doing their school work and so I will have much higher bills but with none of the commuting savings. I’m just sucking it up as I can hardly leave my kids in the cold all day ( and my daughter knows how to turn on - and up - the heating anyway
Plus you’ll get people at home as they have lost their job now with higher heating costs. Bet they would love to be wfh.

[arethereanyleftatall]

Me? I'm getting nothing because I was newly self employed. Haven't had anything since March. I think this is kind of my point. So many people have lost our so massively in this - either they're dead, or their relatives are, or they're redundant, or they can't work - that to complain about heating costs seems really reallly churlish.

[HeyMister]

Its money you wouldn't get otherwise, please stop complaining.
There are people dying, family members paying out extortionate amounts for funerals that they may/may not be able to afford. Put a jumper on, extra thick socks of you don't want to put your heating on.

[Whatdoyoudowhendemocracyfails]

@suggestionsplease1- here is Martin Lewis’s guide on how to claim. Good luck with it, I agree with you.

blog.moneysavingexpert.com/2020/04/martin-lewis--working-from-home-due-to-coronavirus--claim-p6-wk-/?_ga=2.161530364.170523789.1610897075-337941638.1610897075

[m0therofdragons]

Just read up and looks like dh will get £62 ish. I assumed zero so that’ll cover upgrade in broadband. Re heating, ours seems to be static even when I was on mat leave so not expecting a big hit there.