WFH Genuine question...

[letsallcountsheep]

For those being asked to WFH, are you claiming back expenses? Electricity, heating etc

No

Saving on petrol and commuting time for starters

Also I’m just happy I have a job that would let me WFH if needed but they have had to make allowances (buy laptops) specifically for this

Never heard of people claiming expenses for WFH.
It usually saves you time and money from commute, effort and money from prepping office outfit and make-up, money from buying food and drink whilst out...

Enjoy working from home

Absolutely not it is a perk to be able to work from home. I'm hoping it shakes companies up and they realise that more people can work from home once this nonsense is over

No way! That’s cheeky. Saves on commute costs etc and lucky to be allowed to. Will also save me taking sick leave and sick pay if I have to self isolate

Wow. I'm in HR and every time I think I've heard it all, someone surprises me.

Of course you can't claim expenses. You're saving time and money by not having to commute.

Do you not think businesses might be having a hard enough time as it is without you wanting them to pay you when you turn on a light or boil your kettle for a cuppa?

No I’m saving money by doing this.

Bit grabby isn't it. What is it that would warrant it even? You surely save money and time by not commuting etc, not laundering work clothes, extra food you buy at the office and so on. You're presumably getting paid to WFH so are surely better off if anything as well as lucky that you're allowed to in these times.

Top marks for self interest though OP. If I were you I'd worry more about whether your employer can afford to support itself through this period, and what that may eventually mean for you if not, rather than attempting to siphon extra money out of them for a few quid.

Interesting. My job is based on wfh anyway and have never claimed gas/electric
I do claim fibre broadband and landline costs though

If you do self assessment tax you can claim £3 week allowance for using your home as an office!

When I worked from home full time we were told to claim via self assesment.

In my current office-based role I wouldn't even dream of asking. Thenwork we do relies on us being able go out to customers premises, if we can't do that, the knock on effects might well be redundancies.

No

Blimey no, I’m another that wfh mainly and I wouldn’t dream of doing this. The time and money saved from commuting more than makes up!

My company has offered extra data plans on mobiles, sundries like new power packs for laptops, skype credits for those without company phones and have been told to request other things as needed on a case by case.

I would think very poorly of anyone who had availed themselves of these things who then went on and asked for extra cash for being able to work in their own homes. Maybe offer them the option of the moon on a stick and first place on any future lists for cost cutting.

Technically I believe you can claim the tax breaks but I have never met anyone who was a cheeky enough fucker to try it! As others have said, you save in commuting costs and the sheer joy of not having to schlep to the office.

I don't have broadband at home so if I am made to work from home I will have to get it and it's a huge expense for me as I am on a low income. I was wondering whether to ask work about it but it's not their fault I guess.

so if I am made to work from home I will have to get it and it's a huge expense for me as I am on a low income. I was wondering whether to ask work about it

Ask them for a mobile data dongle. Very simple solution.

If you have mobile data on your phone and just do normal office type work, that will be more than adequate. Assuming your work provides a laptop, you just need to tether it to your phone.

If you do graphic design or similar, it might not be, but then your workplace should be able to supply a solution.

My employer have paid for people's laptops to be couriered for them if they were on holiday or OO when the decision was made to shut the office yesterday.
They said we could expense a taxi if any staff members needed to take any bulky or heavy equipment home with them eg a second screen to attach to the laptop.
I think that's more than enough.

No! We're allowed to claim for 'business telephone calls' but I wouldn't even ask to claim for anything else!!

I haven't thought about claiming but it is definitely more expensive for me to WFH. I walk to the office and take my lunch, don't buy coffees etc as no shops nearby. I still have to look professional (on my top half!) when WFH as I do a lot of Skype calls. The expense of being at home is the heating mainly - I need the heating on all day.

I pay around £24/month for broadband, surely you're saving that in commuting costs/lunches/even time saved getting to and from work? Failing that, yes tethering your phone or asking for a dongle from work. You'd have to be very unlucky to not be better off WFH even with paying for your own broadband.

If you aren't particularly well-paid and don't have broadband at home then I think it's reasonable to ask your work about it. Otherwise, no, as most people end up better off by WFH.

No. Trying to claim extra expenses may just make companies say screw it, we'll just have them working in the office if it's going to cost us more money. And WFH is a form of social distancing which will hopefully help us combat this virus. Don't be greedy.

If you’re self-employed it’s perfectly reasonable to claim a portion of the costs as an expense. It’s a very normal practice. I don’t think you’d be able to if you’re salaried though

Oh my... I wfh all the time and this literally never crossed my mind. We save quite a bit of money in our monthly budget because I don't commute.

I'm a bit of a cost saver so I do take measures to lower heating bills through the day at home. I close the door of the room I work in so it doesn't lose heat. We have a programmable thermostat which I set to 18c through the day. I'm in the US where winter temperatures can be as low as -20c so I wear a base layer under work clothes and sometimes a blanket over my legs.

Seriously!!!! Wow... cf.