Can I send a P87 expenses form by post?

A P87 form serves as the official HMRC for claiming tax relief on your work expenses. It is exclusively for employees that are paid through the PAYE system who want to claim a tax rebate for job expenses.

You should submit your P87 claim by post to HMRC if you fall under any of the following categories:

• Making a claim for tax relief for job expenses on behalf of another tax paying individual.
• Claiming for more than five jobs.
• You are unable to submit a P87 online.

If none of the above apply to you completing and processing your P87 fully online is typically the quickest way to claim back your tax rebate for work expenses.

If you want to make a claim for your job expenses online you can find out more about the process in our what is a P87 form guide.

HMRC will only accept a P87 form if you are claiming for job expenses for the first time and will generally reject any claim made in a different format.

What can I claim back on a P87 by post?

The P87 is set up so you can claim for the vast majority of work related expenses at the same time on the same form.

Some of the most common examples of P87 job expenses are:

• Uniform washing/repairing/replacement allowance.
• Work related mileage allowance.
• Professional fees.
• Union subscriptions.
• Tools and equipment.
• Working from home.
• Flat rate allowances.

Depending on the type of expense you are claiming for HMRC may ask for further evidence like receipts but only after your P87 has been received and processed.

How many tax years can I claim for on a P87?

The P87 form allows you to make a claim on the same form for the previous four tax years. A tax year runs from 6 April one year to the 5 April the next.

How to complete a postal P87 form

A P87 form can be completed on screen and then printed or saved to your computer so you can print it off and then complete it manually.

You will need to enter:

• National insurance number.
• Employers PAYE tax reference number.
• Employers first line of address and postcode.
• Employee number.

The additional information you will need to provide will be specific to the type of expenses you are claiming back.

When you’ve completed your P87 you should send it to the HMRC address shown in the what to do now section.

If you are claiming for more than five jobs you will need to complete another P87 form.

Where do I get a P87 form from?

HMRC make the P87 available online at .GOV where you can download it and then print off a physical copy.

There’s an option to fill the P87 in on screen before printing or you can complete it manually in pen.

My claim is for more than £2500 should I use a P87?

A claim for expenses worth £2500 or more in any one tax year should normally be submitted on a self assessment tax return.

The £2500 threshold is applicable per tax year and not for multiple years so if you are making a claim for more than one tax year with the value of each tax years claim less than £2500 a tax return shouldn’t be needed.

To register for self assessment HMRC ask you to call them on 0300 200 3310 or register online at www.gov.uk/log-in-register-hmrc-online-services.

Can I phone HMRC to claim P87 job expenses?

To obtain expenses tax relief HMRC give you the option to make a claim over the phone if:

• You have previously claimed the same type of expense in a prior tax year.
• The expense is for something other than the working from home allowance.
• Your total expenses amount to £2,500 or less.

You can call HMRC by using their taxes helpline number which is open Monday to Friday.

P87 claim and your tax code

In most cases after a successful P87 claim HMRC will update your tax code with the value of your previous tax years claim.

This automatic measure is used so you don’t need to complete a P87 each tax year and receive tax relief by paying less income tax throughout the tax year.

If your job expenses aren’t going to be the same as the previous tax year you should inform HMRC so they can make any neccessary changes to your tax code.

For example if you make a mileage claim and your business mileage is going to be different in the current tax year you will either pay too much or too little income tax.