As an NHS employee, you may well be owed tax relief on your work related expenses.
Good news! This is not just for the current tax year, but extends back over four years and decreases your future tax bill for as long as you as employed.
It doesn’t matter what your job title is, if you work for the NHS and have employment expenses you could be owed an NHS tax rebate.
So if you are a Nurse, Healthcare worker or any other NHS employee find out today what you can claim for and how to make the NHS tax rebate claim you are entitled to.
What can I claim an NHS tax rebate for?
Having the knowledge to claim for everything you can is valuable and ensures you are repaid the maximum tax rebate.
We have included below the most common employment expenses claimed by members of the NHS:
NHS uniform tax refund
Working for the NHS usually means you will have to meet the cost of washing your own uniform.
If you have clothes with an NHS logo and you do not receive any laundering facilities from your employer, you can claim a uniform tax rebate. Usually, laundry costs are given at a flat rate of £100 annually depending on your job title.
Membership of professional bodies and unions
If you have paid for membership to a professional body such as the Nursing Midwifery Council (NMC) and your employer has not reimbursed this cost, you can claim for tax relief on your professional fees.
Some NHS employees can claim for union fees for example UNISON. Tax relief cannot be claimed for all professional bodies and unions.
NHS mileage tax relief
Any journeys made for work purposes, apart from commuting, are regarded as business miles for tax purposes. This may include journeys from your main workplace to a clinic, or to a client’s home address.
Depending on the amount paid to you as a mileage allowance from the NHS an additional claim for tax relief is often possible. You can claim .45p per mile for each business mile up to 10,000 miles.
So, if your employer gives you less than 45 pence per mile, or your mileage is taxed in full you can apply for tax relief.
To be eligible records should be available showing the journeys you have made for example timesheets providing dates and location addresses.
Work equipment and tools
If you have had to buy specialist equipment for your work and you have not received any reimbursement by the NHS, you may be able to claim expenses against the tax on these.
Tax rebates can be given for books, laptops, stethoscopes and many other work related tools, if they are used solely for work purposes. You will need proof of purchase for a claim to be allowable.
How to claim your NHS tax rebate
To claim your NHS worker tax rebate you should contact HMRC directly. You can start your tax rebate claim online or by post and can call HMRC if you need additional support with the process.
HMRC will ask you complete and submit a form called a P87 which includes information like your national insurance number and details relating to your employer. The quickest way to submit your P87 is online but you can print it off and post it as well.
When you have submitted your P87 HMRC will review it and will let you know the outcome usually within about 8-12 weeks.
NHS tax rebate P800
A form P800 will be produced by HMRC after they have calculated the amount you are due for each tax year of your claim.
The P800 will detail the figures you are due and explain how everything has been calculated in each tax year of your claim.
You should read the P800 carefully to ensure what HMRC have included is correct and if you have queries with any of the information you can call HMRC on the phone number provided on the P800.
NHS tax rebate and your tax code
The tax code you are given by HMRC reflects your tax free personal allowance and any employment expenses. When your NHS tax rebate claim has been processed the tax office will update your current tax code and send your employer a new code to use in your next pay.
Your new tax code will include the employment expenses HMRC have agreed for you and will result in you paying less income tax in comparison to a tax code which only incorporates the tax free personal allowance.
When your tax code has been adjusted you shouldn’t need to make another claim unless something changes (for example your subscription to the RCN increases) in which case you should contact HMRC so they can make the necessary updates to your code.
