Ah, claiming back money owed to you by the taxman. An act that feels so wrong, even though it's absolutely right.
And Martin Lewis is back once again with a clever way to get those pennies back via HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC).
The Money Saving Expert (MSE) founder was back on ITV1 and ITVX this week for his latest episode of The Martin Lewis Money Show Live, the setting for the latest advice dished out to the millions watching.
He spent the show telling us how we will benefit from the 2% National Insurance cut, with hundreds due back in our pockets.
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Lewis then spent a small segment on the importance of your tax code being correct. One viewer even contacted the show to reveal they claimed back £2,000 by fixing this issue.
Then there was information on finding out the best broadband deals, which could save more than £600 a year based on case studies on the show.
But the tax refund we're on about here concerns the rather simple and boring matter of wearing a uniform.
It's simple for Lewis - if you wear a uniform, you're quids in. He said: Do you wear a recognisable uniform to work? If so you can claim tax back if you wash or repair it yourself. Even if it's just a branded T-shirt.
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"The minimum allowance you get is £60 a year and in some categories you get more. So that's a £12 a year gain at 20% tax or £24 at a higher tax.
"There's no need to pay anyone to do this, it's easy via a P87 form on Gov.uk but you need to go quick for 2019/20."
People working in a total of 83 industries can apply for the funds, with some of the roles very specific.
Can you claim?
According to Lewis' MSE website, these four pointers must all apply to start claiming cash:
- You wear a recognisable uniform that shows you've got a certain job, such as a branded T-shirt, nurse or police uniform.
- Your employer requires you to wear it while you're working. This means you have no other option but to buy it. You can still claim the whole year's relief even if you only had to wear the uniform on one day of that year.
- You're made to purchase, clean, repair or replace it yourself. But you can't claim if your employer washes your kit, provides facilities to do so (even if you don't use them) or pays you for doing this maintenance.
- You paid income tax in the year you are claiming for. Since this is a perk to reduce your tax liability, you can't claim if you paid no tax in the year you're claiming for.
List of industries and jobs you can claim tax relief on
Listed below is the industries, jobs and how much tax relief you can claim if it applies to you. If your industry and job are not shown, you can claim a flat rate expense amount of £60.
- Agriculture; All workers; £100
- Airlines; Pilots, co-pilots, helicopter pilots and uniformed flight deck crew; £1,022
- Airlines; Cabin crew — stewards and stewardesses; £720
- Aluminium; Continual casting operators, process operators, de-dimplers, driers, drill punchers, dross unloaders, firemen (engaged to light and maintain furnaces), furnace operators and their helpers, leaders, mould-men, pourers, remelt department labourers and roll flatteners; £140
- Aluminium; Cable hands, case makers, labourers, mates, truck drivers and measurers and storekeepers; £80
- Aluminium; Apprentices; £60
- Aluminium; All other workers; £120
- Armed forces; All ranks in the Royal Air Force, Royal Marines and the army; £100
- Armed forces; Royal Navy; £80
- Banks and building societies; Uniformed doormen and messengers; £60
- Brass and copper; Braziers, coppersmiths, finishers, fitters, moulders, turners and all other workers; £120
- Building; Joiners and carpenters; £140
- Building; Cement workers, roofing felt and asphalt labourers; £80
- Building; Labourers and navvies; £60
- Building; All other workers; £120
- Building materials; Stone masons; £120
- Building materials; Tilemakers and labourers; £60
- Building materials; All other workers; £80
- Clothing; Lacemakers, hosiery bleachers, dyers, scourers and knitters, knitwear bleachers and dyers; £60
- Clothing; All other workers; £60
- Constructional engineering (includes buildings, shipyards, bridges and roads); Blacksmiths and their strikers, burners, caulkers, chippers, drillers, erectors, fitters, holders up, markers off, platers, riggers, riveters, rivet heaters, scaffolders, sheeters, template workers, turners and welders; £140
- Constructional engineering (includes buildings, shipyards, bridges and roads); Banksmen, labourers, shop-helpers, slewers and straighteners; £80
- Constructional engineering (includes buildings, shipyards, bridges and roads); Apprentices and storekeepers; £60
- Constructional engineering (includes buildings, shipyards, bridges and roads); All other workers; £100
- Electrical and electricity supply; Workers incurring laundry costs only; £60
- Electrical and electricity supply; All other workers; £120
- Trades ancillary to engineering; Pattern makers; £140
- Trades ancillary to engineering; Labourers, supervisory and unskilled workers; £80
- Trades ancillary to engineering; Apprentices and storekeepers; £60
- Trades ancillary to engineering; Motor mechanics in garage repair shop; £120
- Trades ancillary to engineering; All other workers; £120
- Fire service; Uniformed fire fighters and fire officers; £80
- Food; All workers; £60
- Forestry; All workers; £100
- Glass; All workers; £80
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- Health and care staff employed by the National Health Service, private hospitals, local authorities and independent care providers; Ambulance staff on active service; £185
- Health and care staff employed by the National Health Service, private hospitals, local authorities and independent care providers; Nurses, midwives, chiropodists, dental nurses, occupational, speech, physiotherapists and other therapists, healthcare assistants, domiciliary care workers, phlebotomists and radiographers; £125 (also a shoes and stockings or tights allowance where everyone is required to wear the same colour or style)
- Health and care staff employed by the National Health Service, private hospitals, local authorities and independent care providers; Plaster room orderlies, hospital porters, ward clerks, sterile supply workers, hospital domestics and hospital catering staff; £125
- Health and care staff employed by the National Health Service, private hospitals, local authorities and independent care providers; Laboratory staff, pharmacists and pharmacy assistants; £80
- Health and care staff employed by the National Health Service, private hospitals, local authorities and independent care providers; Uniformed ancillary staff — maintenance workers, grounds staff, drivers, parking attendants and security guards, receptionists and other uniformed staff; £80
- Heating; Pipe fitters and plumbers; £120
- Heating; Coverers, laggers, domestic glaziers, heating engineers and all their mates; £120
- Heating; All gas workers and all other workers; £100
- Iron mining; Fillers, miners and underground workers; £120
- Iron mining; All other workers; £100
- Iron and steel; Day labourers, general labourers, stockmen, timekeepers, warehouse staff and weighmen; £80
- Iron and steel; Apprentices; £60
- Iron and steel; All other workers; £60
- Leather; Curriers (wet workers), fellmongering workers and tanning operatives (wet); £80
- Leather; All other workers; £60
- Particular engineering (work on commercial basis in a factory or workshop producing components such as wire, springs, nails and locks); Pattern makers; £140
- Particular engineering (work on commercial basis in a factory or workshop producing components such as wire, springs, nails and locks); Chainmakers, cleaners, galvanisers, tinners and wire drawers in the wire drawing industry and toolmakers in the lock making industry; £120
- Particular engineering (work on commercial basis in a factory or workshop producing components such as wire, springs, nails and locks); Apprentices and storekeepers; £60
- Particular engineering (work on commercial basis in a factory or workshop producing components such as wire, springs, nails and locks); All other workers; £60
- Police force; Ranks of police officers up to and including chief inspector; £140
- Police force; Community support officers including Metropolitan Police; £140
- Police force; Other policy employees (but not special constables); £60
- Precious metals; All workers; £100
- Printing; Letterpress section — electrical engineers (rotary presses), electrotypers, ink and roller makers, machine minders (rotary), maintenance engineers (rotary presses) and stereotypers; £140
- Printing; Bench hands (periodical and bookbinding section), compositors (letterpress section), readers (letterpress section) telecommunications and electronic section wire room operators, warehousemen (paper box making section); £60
- Printing; All other workers; £100
- Prisons; Uniformed prison officers; £80
- Public service — docks and inland waterways; Dockers, dredger drivers ad hopper steerers; £80
- Public service — docks and inland waterways; All other workers; £60
- Public service — public transport; Garage hands including cleaners; £80
- Public service — public transport; Conductors and drivers; £60
- Quarrying; All workers; £100
- Railways; See the appropriate category for craftsmen (for example engineers, vehicles) all other workers; £100
- Seamen; Carpenters, Passenger liners; £165
- Seamen; Cargo vessels, tankers coasters, and ferries; £140
- Shipyards; Blacksmiths and their strikers, boilermakers, burners, carpenters, caulkers, drillers, furnacemen (platers) holders up, fitters, platers, plumbers, riveters, sheet iron workers, shipwrights, tubers and welders; £140
- Shipyards; Labourers; £80
- Shipyards; Apprentices and storekeepers; £60
- Shipyards; All other workers; £100
- Textiles and textile printing; Carders, carding engineers, overlookers and technicians in spinning mills; £120
- Textiles and textile printing; All other workers; £80
- Vehicles; Builders, railway vehicle repairers and railway wagon lifters; £140
- Vehicles; Railway vehicle painters, letterers, and builders’ and repairers’ assistants; £80
- Vehicles; All other workers; £60
- Wood and furniture; Carpenters, cabinetmakers, joiners, wood carvers and woodcutting machinists; £140
- Wood and furniture; Artificial limb makers (other than in wood), organ builders and packaging case makers; £120
- Wood and furniture; Coopers not providing their own tools, labourers, polishers and upholsterers; £60
- Wood and furniture; All other workers; £100
Topics: Jobs, Martin Lewis, Money, UK News, ITV, TV and Film
Tom Earnshaw