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If you are one of the millions of people who has been working at home over the last 12 months because of Covid – either full or part-time – have you claimed tax relief that you are due?
Last October, HMRC launched an online portal offering employees a hassle-free way to claim the relief, worth £6 a week, without the need to provide receipts or to make complicated calculations.
It is offered to workers told by their employer to work from home – provided they have not received home expenses payments directly from their company.
For workers who don’t fill in a self-assessment tax return each year, the online claim page will take you to Government Gateway where you will be asked for the date you started working from home. It automatically calculates what you are owed – up to £250 for those who worked at home since March 2020.
It is paid via an altering of your tax code. It takes five minutes to claim, assuming you are registered for Government Gateway. Those who complete a tax return each year should claim it then.
And finally
Two weeks ago we reported on Shell Energy taking over the Post Office’s broadband business. At the time Shell said climate activists and other concerned customers could leave penalty-free. Lots of Money readers tried to depart but were told that exit penalties would be payable. Shell has reconfirmed its stance, and said customer services staff have been reminded of this.
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