Heating Engineers’ Tax Refund Guide
Are you an employed or self employed heating engineer?
Most heating engineers have money owed to them from the tax office amounting to hundreds, sometimes thousands, of pounds.
In recognition of the fact that some professions require people to pay for work items themselves, the tax office have a system whereby you can reclaim any tax you have paid on work expenses.
What tax relief can a heating engineer claim for?
The regulations governing the realm of work expenses are extremely detailed, in order to account for every possible employment circumstance. It is important to apply for tax relief on all the expenses that you genuinely incur during your work.
These are the most common work expenses that heating engineers regularly receive tax relief on:
- Using your own car or van to get to jobs
- Washing your own work uniform at home
- Paying membership fees to a Trade Union or recognised professional body (like CIPHE)
- Buying your own uniform or safety gear
- Purchasing tools that you use for work purposes
- Jobs that involve staying away from home and paying for food and accommodation
We have found that most of these things can apply to many heating engineers. This means that there are a lot of heating engineers not reclaiming their cash.
What do I need to make a claim?
HMRC does require that some allowances are supported by receipts as evidence. An example would be for tools bought for work.
The tax rebate process is a completely private exchange between you and HMRC with any tax rebate coming from money that is already being held at the tax office, not your employer.
Why haven’t I heard about this before?
Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs can’t reach out to everyone all of the time and you won’t be t the only heating engineer missing out. Despite being entitled to the tax relief, HMRC cannot automatically refund your tax overpayment. You have to make an official claim directly to HMRC for as many years as possible within the last four tax years.
How do I make a heating engineers’ tax rebate claim?
To make your heating engineer tax rebate claim you should complete and submit a P87 employment expenses form. You can submit your P87 online or by printing it off and posting it to the tax office.
If your claim is worth more than £2500 a self assessment tax return will usually be needed for the tax year where your expenses are valued at £2500 or more.
