Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To expect my work to pay for broadband and other wfh expenses?

442 replies

Zazzii · 17/03/2021 12:26

Since last March like many of us I have been working from home - I have a work laptop and phone and use our spare room. I had always worked the odd day at home when it was convenient for wating in for deliveries/ appointments etc but only once or twice a month. I, and line manager etc, were happy with this but it was seen as a bit of a perk

Now that working from home is established as the 'new normal' is it wrong for me to expect my employer to cover my broadband costs? They dont seem inclined to give us anything telling us that as we have it already there is no increased costs for us of using it for an additional 7 hours a day.

It is vital for the business that we are connected therefore the cost should be met by the business. Plans from teh summer are for us to continue working from home at least for part of the week so it will be long term.

I undertsand that they dont want to get involved in discussions about individual broadband contracts etc but a standard amount for all staff - say £30 a month?, £40?- should be part of our expenses claim. Or do I need to accept it as part of the new way of working?

Then there are other expenses which I have incurred over the past year - bigger things like the heating and electricity during the day but also small things like the coffee, tea and other refreshments I would normally expect to have at work which I have had to pay for.

I havent reduced any costs in other areas - my commute is 2 miles by bike so negilible cost and time saving.

Am I being unreasonable? Would it be unreasonable to try and rally my fellow workers to ask for this?

OP posts:
Chwaraeteg · 17/03/2021 12:29

You can claim £20 per week tax free for WFH expenses (also, employers can claim this and pay this onto you themselves).

MoiraNotRuby · 17/03/2021 12:30

We get £26 a month for wfh (whether you're full or part time) - I think this is a standard amount

Chwaraeteg · 17/03/2021 12:30

Actually, it's more now. £6 per week:

www.gov.uk/tax-relief-for-employees/working-at-home

luxxlisbon · 17/03/2021 12:31

If they didn't pay for costs associated with work before - commute, clothing etc then I don't see why that would change because you are at home.

"Then there are other expenses which I have incurred over the past year - bigger things like the heating and electricity during the day but also small things like the coffee, tea and other refreshments I would normally expect to have at work which I have had to pay for."

Tea, coffee etc is a perk they offered in the office. It should be an extra and doesn't mean you are facing increased costs due to WFH.

I see lots of people claiming internet is a new expense due to WFH but I doubt that many people have actually upgraded their service so the cost is the same, unless they didn't have broadband prior to March 2020 which I find incredibly unlikely.

Does your office have a plan to reopen or a minimum occupancy it can facilitate at the minute? Do you want to return to the office or WFH but have things subsidised?

Bouncebacker · 17/03/2021 12:32

But your broadband doesn’t cost more because you are using it for work?

Superstardjs · 17/03/2021 12:33

Did you have broadband installed specifically to wfh? And you do not use it AT ALL other than for work purposes? Because it isn't a cost per use facility and if you normally have a broadband connection I fail to see how this is an extra expense. As for the tea and coffee issue... I won't comment on that because I have no nice reply.

Peace43 · 17/03/2021 12:33

I have wfh for 12 years for 4 different companies. Only one paid broadband. None paid anything else.

LaPampa · 17/03/2021 12:34

I’ve always worked from home and my company don’t provide any tech or contribute to broadband.

Jizzle · 17/03/2021 12:34

@Chwaraeteg

You can claim £20 per week tax free for WFH expenses (also, employers can claim this and pay this onto you themselves).
Can you show me where this can be found on the gov.uk website? From what i have read from MoneySavingExpert:

"Claim tax relief on £6 a week. If your employer won't pay expenses for your extra costs due to necessary working from home, but you have them, then you can ask for the amount to be deducted from your taxable income. To make the process easy, HMRC says that claims in line with the employers' payment (ie, for £6 a week) will not need to justify that figure – meaning you won't need to keep receipts or prove information. Tax relief of £6 a week equates to a gain of £1.20 a week for a basic 20% rate taxpayer, £2.40 a week for a higher 40% rate taxpayer.

If you believe you have higher increased costs than £6 a week, you can claim more, but you will need evidence of the cost increases and be able to apportion these specifically to the fact you are working from home – and this becomes a much more laborious process."

So that's a big difference between £6 tax relief (so actually £1.20) versus £20 a week....

StepOutOfLine · 17/03/2021 12:35

@Bouncebacker

But your broadband doesn’t cost more because you are using it for work?
This.
Iminaglasscaseofemotion · 17/03/2021 12:35

Afaik some people can claim for it. I don't know why you would though. You presumably had travel expenses, uniform expenses etc before and now don't.

HollowTalk · 17/03/2021 12:38

I think it's shocking that companies aren't paying people extra to work from home. The internet cost is one thing but heating a room will make a huge difference to your bills, certainly more than £6 pw.

sticktomygun · 17/03/2021 12:38

Confused because our work does this £26. Then a equipment allowance for home working.

Don't most employers do this?

ShinyMe · 17/03/2021 12:39

Wait, your work paid for your tea and coffee? Surely that's not usual.

BarbaraofSeville · 17/03/2021 12:40

I would have thought that, for most people, the broadband needed to WFH is a drop in the ocean compared to normal household use with streaming etc.

It's also quite unusual to have no commuting costs and complaining about missing out on free drinks at work sounds really petty.

For everyone who's had extra costs due to WFH, there's probably ten who are saving a significant amount, as well as the time saved too.

I'd really not want to be 'that person' asking to be compensated for something that most people don't need.

Crazycrazylady · 17/03/2021 12:40

Honestly .. how stingy do you sound. You clearly had broadband already so you have sustained no extra cost and as for tea/coffee expenses ... I have no words...

middleager · 17/03/2021 12:40

My husband has to use his own laptop and phone, so we are even worse off as we will end up having to buy anew laptop sooner rather than later, as he uses it 9 hours a day now.

We both Wfh but feel grateful having jobs, so we just have to take the extra heating and lighting in our stride and offset against the cost of a commute/parking/wear and tear on cars.

MatildaTheCat · 17/03/2021 12:40

Surely the cost of heating through the day in winter and any necessary adjustments to the home are more expensive and tangible than a bb contract you had anyway? However if you are making significant savings on travel or other work related expenses I can see it’s a discussion not many employers will want to engage with.

I imagine that future savings that some of the big employers with expensive office spaces they no longer need to finance will be huge and I doubt they will be passed onto their workers.

RedGoldAndGreene · 17/03/2021 12:41

@ShinyMe

Wait, your work paid for your tea and coffee? Surely that's not usual.
I've always worked at places where instant coffee, tea bags, hot water and milk were provided.
middleager · 17/03/2021 12:42

We have to pay for tea and coffee and milk at work, or bring our own.

windymillertheecowarrior · 17/03/2021 12:43

How much have you saved in clothes because you hardly need a work set so to speak? How much time have you saved not travelling? How many days leave have you gained by not having to use them for utilities and people such as Yodel who cannot deliver at your reasonable convenience?

YANBU.

sticktomygun · 17/03/2021 12:43

Herbal teas too Smile

CMOTDibbler · 17/03/2021 12:44

I wfh permanently, and get a homeworking allowance (at the HMRC rate). Way back when broadband wasn't a normal part of life we did get it paid for by work if you wfh or were required to work out of hours on call and needed it. But they stopped that years ago as it was now considered to be part of your normal home setup

FudgeSundae · 17/03/2021 12:44

Most of the time employers follow HMRC guidance on these issues because if they pay you and HMRC thinks it’s a “benefit” it gets taxed. HMRC’s view is:

  • you can have £6 a week tax free for working from home IF you have to work from home. Your employer can pay you this but if they choose not to you can still get tax relief on it.
  • you can have broadband as a work expense IF you have a work-only connection that you can prove you installed only due to work and has no private use (e.g. if your work paid for a second line for you). Otherwise if your work were to reimburse your broadband, it would be taxable.
  • you CAN claim the portion of utilities relating to your use of the room you work in - either from your employer or tax relief directly from HMRC - but this could affect your residence relief if you sell your house so not recommended.
-Tea and coffee provided for all staff in the office is tax free, but a home allowance fir tea and coffee would be taxable.

In summary, HMRC think YABU and so your employer is very unlikely to agree with you.

Swipe left for the next trending thread