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Claim What You're Entitled To

A practical starting point for checking employment-expense tax relief, with a claim preparation checklist.

For employees checking UK employment-expense tax relief. General information, not individual tax advice. Self-employed expenses follow different rules.

Start with the right expectation

Tax relief is not reimbursement of every pound you spend. It reduces tax on eligible expenses and depends on tax paid and your circumstances. For illustration, an eligible GBP100 deduction at a 20% tax rate gives GBP20 relief, not GBP100 back. Check what your employer already paid and whether an existing claim or tax-code allowance covers the expense. Do not claim the same cost twice.

Check journeys, not just total mileage

Travel between care visits may qualify, but ordinary commuting generally does not. The treatment of a journey from home depends on the workplace rules; being a care worker does not automatically make every journey business travel. Keep dates, business purpose, start and end postcodes, mileage and employer payments. Use the HMRC rate for the tax year and vehicle concerned; do not assume a figure from an old social-media post is still current. The approved mileage amount covers running costs, so do not add fuel or repairs again.

Check uniform costs separately

A required uniform or specialist clothing may qualify under the rules. Everyday clothes do not become a uniform just because work specifies a colour. A free employer laundry service also affects eligibility. Check the agreed flat-rate deduction for your occupation or the evidence requirements for actual eligible expenditure. Required PPE should be supplied free or reimbursed by the employer; this is not a substitute tax-relief claim.

Prepare before opening the claim

Gather your National Insurance number, employer details, relevant tax years, records of eligible costs and amounts reimbursed. Keep these private; do not send them to the Academy. Separate records by employment and year. Check the current HMRC evidence requirements. A rough estimate without supporting records is not a reason to invent journeys or receipts.

Claim directly through HMRC

Start from the official HMRC eligibility and claim pages linked below. Use the route offered for your circumstances; people completing Self Assessment claim through their tax return. P87 is the official postal form where appropriate. HMRC claims do not require a commercial refund agent. If you choose an agent, understand their fees and authorisation before agreeing. Eligible claims may cover the current and previous four tax years, subject to the applicable rules and deadlines.

A simple example to organise your records

Leah has two employers and a notebook of visit-to-visit journeys. She separates the entries by employer and tax year, removes ordinary commuting, totals business miles and records each employer's mileage payments. She then checks the official rate and eligibility rather than assuming the entire mileage amount is a refund. Where a journey is uncertain, she asks HMRC or a qualified adviser before including it.

Your next steps

List the tax years and employers involved.
Check eligibility for each expense, including employer reimbursement.
Gather mileage logs or receipts where required.
Check for an existing allowance or earlier claim.
Use the official HMRC claim route and retain a copy.
Check the outcome and tell HMRC if the information needs correcting.

Sources and further help

Reviewed 6 October 2026. Independently written by Pheon Academy; the linked organisations do not endorse this guide. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0, where applicable.