Working from home

You may be able to claim tax relief for additional household costs if you have to work at home for all or part of the week.

Who can claim tax relief

You can claim tax relief if you have to work from home, for example because:

  • your job requires you to live far away from your office
  • your employer does not have an office

Who cannot claim tax relief

You cannot claim tax relief if you choose to work from home. This includes if:

  • your employment contract lets you work from home some or all of the time
  • your employer has an office, but you cannot go there sometimes because it’s full

What you can claim for

You can only claim for things to do with your work, such as:

  • business phone calls
  • gas and electricity for your work area

You can claim for this tax year and the 4 previous tax years.

You cannot claim for things that you use for both private and business use, such as rent or broadband access.

How much you can claim 

You can either claim tax relief on: 

  • £6 a week 
  • the exact amount you’ve spent 

You’ll get tax relief based on the rate at which you pay tax. 

Example

If you pay the 20% basic rate of tax and claim tax relief on £6 a week, you would get £1.20 per week in tax relief (20% of £6).

How to claim

When you claim, you must send evidence that you have to work from home if you’re either claiming:

  • £6 a week for the tax year 2022 to 2023 or later
  • the exact amount you’ve spent

If you’re claiming the exact amount you’ve spent, you will also need to send evidence such as a copy of your receipts or bills.

Use this service to check:

  • if you can claim
  • how to claim

If you complete a Self Assessment tax return, you must claim through your tax return instead.

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