£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.)

[WaxOnFeckOff]

I live very nearby work so I'm not really gaining much in time or travelling costs but based on my last bill (in September) I'm about £20 a month worse off in bills, obviously that will be worse in winter. My company is doing well out of covid and aren't paying the expenses though initially said they would. I'm not too bothered tbh but as there isn't any public transport, I've been paying for a car I'm not using and I think other folk are in the same boat. Friend had just taken on a lease car that she now isn't using - that's not the companies fault either, but they did survey staff months ago and about whether we'd like to work at home on a permanent basis and have never come back. It would be to say one way or another so we can plan.

[Murmurur]

We are saving a fortune on petrol, including tax on petrol. It's much better for the government coffers to have everyone commuting, buying cars, buying lunches and coffees out, and paying VAT on the lot. I think it's more surprising that there is any sort of offset at all for WFH.

[MorganKitten]

It states on the website if you can prove you’ve paid out more they will take it into account

[Quaversplease]

I'm worse off since we can't travel. I was always home based but I used to be on the road 3 days a week. I'd claim mileage at .45p per mile. Deducting actual fuel costs I'm a couple of thousand £s worse off.

[Labobo]

I've worked from home for years and didn't realise I could claim this! Feel a bit foolish now.

Most people save money on commuting which offsets additional costs of heating.

[Soontobe60]

My DD and her dh have both been working from home since April. Yes, their utilities have increased, but their commuting costs have disappeared, they have saved money from not getting lunch out several times a week, and not buying workwear. She has calculated that they've saved around £2000 in 10 months.

[peak2021]

It's a very small amount. However wfh means no travel costs, much less costs for clothing (I reckon saves £300 minimum a year) and lower food costs. Then you gain from time not travelling, even if some of the saving ends up being used for work.

I also value that I am not tied to having to leave the house at a set time, and therefore can get up at slightly varying times if I want to.

[TrialOfStyle]

This winter I have paid double to heat a very cold house. My commute cost a third of the extra I’m paying so YANBU, OP.

But I don’t begrudge my workplace. Our funding (public services) have been slashed by a ridiculous amount and all our commercial outlets are on hold. There’s already been one round of redundancies and I expect more later in the year (And I’m terrified my job might be on the chopping block - my grade was last time). So I think it’s very much a ‘suck it up’ thing right now.

[Saz12]

But.... nothing about Covid is fair.

Financially, some have lost, a few have gained, and a lot is through luck.
In the summer months most people would have had much lower bills. Some will have a smaller room to work from which is relatively easy to heat with a small heater. Some will have prepaid electric meters and crap insulation and damp that costs a screaming fortune to keep at a bearable temperature, and is in Wick (lovely, but always bloody freezing). Some will have cosy “garden room” to work from, or a dedicated home office, or a mahoosive kitchen-diner, in the Home Counties where its much warmer.
Thats before commuting cost differences.

There’s no way to make it fair without the administrative costs becoming insane.

[Judystilldreamsofhorses]

I did the claim for this before Christmas. I walk to and from work, and take my own lunch every day except a Friday, so not much saving to offset the huge extra costs of energy bills.

Yes, I know I should be grateful to have a job, and I am, but not everyone is saving loads on commuting costs.

[BungleandGeorge]

I think it’s ok if it’s just due to covid but what about the huge amount of companies who are making the unilateral decision to force everyone to work from home indefinitely because it saves them money. Providing a room in your house, desk, heating, lighting, broadband at own expense. It disproportionately affects lower earners who are unlikely to be purchasing lunch and coffees at work and may be able to claim nothing (if earnings under personal allowance) whereas higher rate tax payers can claim 2.40 a week. If it suits you and you agree to it then it’s fine, otherwise it’s really unfair!

[thevassal]

@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.

Not blaming you specifically (and lots of other shave said the same in this thread), but it's so annoying when someone pipes up with this, we have been trying to get my employer (public sector) to pay the £6 p/w allowance since we were all sent to wfh since the middle of march, two weeks before the first lockdown and there is always someone who pipes up with this in the union meetings, twatting on about how much they have saved in commuting, completely ignoring the fact a) they CHOSE to live so far away from the office and therefore knew how much they would need to spend b) there are a whole lot of us who deliberately chose to live close to work to save on commuting, and who therefore have not saved a penny this year in petrol or car wear, but have incurred a fortune in heating, electricity (charging work phone, screen, and laptop every day) and water from being forced to WFH for 11 months and counting.

Meanwhile those who already worked from home are claiming their usual £6 p/w while incurring exactly the same costs and doing exactly the same job, therefore getting paid an extra few hundred quid a year from their colleagues, whereas the whole point of having transparent payscales in my job is that everyone on that pay grade gets paid exactly the same.

I obviously don't begrudge people (including my sister) for claiming it at all, but it's also unfair that even if you've only WFH one day since last april you can still claim the whole 52 weeks @£6, even though your increased costs are going to be negligible compared to someone who has had to WFH every single day.

My bills went up by a third in the summer, I am dreading seeing the cost over the winter!

[homeschoolingyay]

"how much are employers saving?"

Many many employers are on the verge of bankruptcy, still paying rent on premises they can't use, still paying the holiday pay, NI and pensions of staff who are not doing any work for them, still liable for costs associated with the premises such as heat to stop the pipes freezing, insurance (which is likely to be higher if the building is empty) etc

Maybe try seeing the bigger picture and if you have a job value it. There are a lot more redundancies coming.

[Homemadearmy]

I'm not any better off financially working from home either. No savings to be made, I walked to work, took my own lunch and coffee. Wear the same clothes I do at home.
Yes I'm grateful to have a job, but it's not been easy. I tried not to put the heating on. But it made my work day feel longer being cold and while working in the front room is okay as a stop gap. It's not really comfortable long term

[Littleposh]

In normal times, I isn't the government's job to compensate you for wfh, it's your employer's. Be grateful you would get anything

As said before, travel and eating costs are cut dramatically, get over yourself

[HazyJuly]

@MorganKitten

It states on the website if you can prove you’ve paid out more they will take it into account

That takes you into a full tax return scenario.

[TheGreatWave]

I hate self-assessment, I'd pay £6/week not to have to do it!

Not quite the same, but I don't claim anything that would make my CTC any harder than it is.

[lidoshuffle]

I'm not complaining, I know I am lucky to have a secure job, and more importantly, my health.

But for someone who usually walks to work, takes a packed lunch and doesn't have smart work clothes I'm not saving anything. I'm paying out to heat a house that would usually be empty all day, electricity, phone (SIM only exceeded), printer ink and paper.

But compared to the problems individuals and the country are facing, I know it's nothing.

[TheGreatWave]

As said before, travel and eating costs are cut dramatically, get over yourself

Eating costs are only cut dramatically if you were wasting spending lots on coffees, takeouts etc. My sandwich is the same cost whether eaten at home or at work, though at home DH doesn't have to wash up my sandwich box.

[CeeceeBloomingdale]

I've been able to WFH for about half if the time since March but can't claim as after pay cuts my part time wage is below the tax threshold. I personally have saved more on petrol than I've spent in extra gas and electric though, and that's with 4 of us at home for much of it. My H has saved a fortune in petrol, parking and tolls would be eligible but hasn't claimed as we don't need it.

[HorseOfPhillipMoss]

People who work in the lowest paid jobs often work closer to home and will often take their own lunch, think admin staff etc who will often work locally rather than in a particular specialist field. Ours are paid £16000 a year FT and have all been working from home since march, our employer (the government) aren't covering anything. I'm still going into work a lot and so is DH and either us or DM and DS are usually here 6 days a week anyway (other than when we were actually allowed to go out) so it hasn't made any difference to us, no savings either as I walk or cycle to work and DH was redirected so had his travel covered and we both take lunches as we don't work in places where cafés etc are readily accessible, but that doesn't mean I can't see how it has affected others.

[BubblyBarbara]

It's an absolute pee take, they might as well not offer it at all for all the good it does.

[anniegun]

@Theunamedcat

My heating and electricity costs have tripled

How come? You have not tripled the time your house was occupied even if wfh

[islockdownoveryet]

Yes your right utilities have gone up wfh but I’m saving time on not have to get ready and commuting. I don’t have to get up as early either .
I’m saving money on petrol / wear on tear on vehicle so for me it balances it out . I’m flexi furlough too so I’m on less money too but it is what it is and I’m grateful I still have a job .

[redsquirrelfan]

Check your tax position carefully before you claim this. I won't be because I am not well enough informed about whether I could end up with a bill for business rates from my local council.