How renters can get money back for working from home

If you work from home regularly, you can claim tax relief*. Let’s get straight to how to check if you can claim, and how to get the cash back.

What you need to know

If your workplace has asked you to work from home or you’re having to work from home due to coronavirus (COVID-19), you can claim money back from the UK Government. You can’t claim tax relief if you have chosen to work from home.

What you can claim

You can claim any costs that have increased as a result of being at home, including:

• Heating
• Metered water bills
• Home contents insurance
• Monthly phone plan (for business calls)
• New broadband connection

What you can’t claim

You can’t get tax relief for costs that stay the same whether you are at home or in the office. This includes:

• Mortgage interest
• Rent
• Council tax

How much can you claim?

You'll get relief based on the tax you pay. If you pay 20% tax (the basic rate) you can claim 20% back. For example, if you are claiming £6 a week, you can get back £1.20 per week.

To claim your full tax relief you’ll need receipts, bills or contracts to show the extra cost you’ve incurred as a result of working at home.

If you don’t have your receipts, you can still claim up to £6 a week from 6 April 2020.

What to do to claim this money back

You’ll need:

1. 10 minutes of spare time
2. Your National Insurance number
3. A recent payslip or P60 or a valid UK passport
   

Start by checking you are eligible via the UK Government website and follow through on the rest of the instructions. Get that ££££.

*All information is correct at the time of posting (29 October 2020).

This is the first in a three part “Save renters money” series. If you want to know how your landlord can save you money, click here.