Claiming tax on equipment for WFH

Nutty_Death · 6 Jul 2020 at 09:21

Is it possible to claim tax back whilst WFH on office equipment, such as monitor, chair etc?

My office is currently closed and I have bought myself several items to use whilst working.

I was looking at https://www.gov.uk/tax-relief-for-employees/working-at-home and it isn't clear but perhaps implies that I can't.

I fill in a self assessment form each year but i'm also in full time employment (paying back child allowance.......)

To be clear, my employer did not purchase the equipment and has not rebated me in anyway for it.

DanTheMan · 6 Jul 2020 at 09:29

In the majority of cases, it's very difficult to claim for equipment like monitors / chairs unless you could not possibly do your job without them. If you still have access to a laptop / tablet / kitchen table and chairs, chances are you can't claim. It's probably not worth your time even trying to prove this.

Could your employer not reimburse you for your outlay? There's specific legislation for coronavirus whereby your employer could reimburse you without it being subject to the usual benefit in kind tax.

Efour · 6 Jul 2020 at 09:30

2080ti?

Martynt74 · 6 Jul 2020 at 09:39

I believe the only available claim is something like £4/month to go towards utilities etc.

I'd be expecting your employer to re-imburse you personally through expenses.

Nutty_Death · 6 Jul 2020 at 09:40

@Efour You can get Tableau to use a 2080ti right?

Thanks @DanTheMan . I'll just leave it then.
My employer has been really good to me so don't want to try squeezing more out of them but I have certainly bought things which have improved my work productivity. Working just on my work laptop would have been tortuous.

Efour · 6 Jul 2020 at 10:21

I didnt even know what tableau is or was (until i googled it) but if it runs on windows then you need a graphics card to output to a display so id be billing for SLI 2080Tis... minimum.

lol edit but judging by the way you used "work productivity." im guessing you dont need it for Mac OS. Tee HEee!

VincentHanna · 6 Jul 2020 at 10:23

Deaths_Calling said:
@Efour You can get Tableau to use a 2080ti right?

Thanks @DanTheMan . I'll just leave it then.
My employer has been really good to me so don't want to try squeezing more out of them but I have certainly bought things which have improved my work productivity. Working just on my work laptop would have been tortuous.

A lot of people are saving a fortune not commuting to and from work and buying lunch out etc etc.

D3K · 6 Jul 2020 at 10:25

Deaths_Calling said:
Is it possible to claim tax back whilst WFH on office equipment, such as monitor, chair etc?

My office is currently closed and I have bought myself several items to use whilst working.

I was looking at https://www.gov.uk/tax-relief-for-employees/working-at-home and it isn't clear but perhaps implies that I can't.

I fill in a self assessment form each year but i'm also in full time employment (paying back child allowance.......)

To be clear, my employer did not purchase the equipment and has not rebated me in anyway for it.

Your company should have a policy on what you can and can't reimburse from office purchases. Ours is meagre, <£10 logi mice for example. Either that or they should let you into the office to pick up supplies.

Gov are not interested unless it's utilities. Set up a private company if you want to claim tax back. But you will have to keep evidence that you have been trying to do business if you submit pure losses every year.

peterwalkley · 6 Jul 2020 at 10:48

VincentHanna said:
A lot of people are saving a fortune not commuting to and from work and buying lunch out etc etc.

This is a very good point. I've worked from home for nearly 20 years and never bothered claiming anything back as I'm saving money on transport and so on. I also prefer choosing what I buy to make WFH more comfortable: I'm very sure work would never have paid for stuff like an Aeron, 32 inch monitor, decent mech keyboard etc.

HangTime · 6 Jul 2020 at 11:01

I think a key point is that an employer might be required to provide you with adequate tooling to work from home, but they don't have to provide you with 'nice' stuff. As per above post I have a largish-monitor, mech keyboard etc but I wouldn't expect my employer to fund that even if they benefit from it slightly, because it's not actually required for me to do the job and isn't a H&S risk. I bought them anyway for my own personal use and would rather use them for work as well instead of some cheap tat.

Liquid_Entity · 6 Jul 2020 at 11:02

I went and got my office chair as soon as they allowed certain visitors in to the site. I wish they had made it available 10 weeks earlier as my back is already ruined from the dining chair I sat on for so long.

VincentHanna · 6 Jul 2020 at 11:07

Heh, I nabbed my Herman Miller chair before I left the office in mid-late March.

jpaul · 6 Jul 2020 at 11:28

Espresso machine, and supply, would be my candidates in home office equipment,
I can probably provide a log showing their usage during working hours

dirtychinchilla · 6 Jul 2020 at 11:58

VincentHanna said:
A lot of people are saving a fortune not commuting to and from work and buying lunch out etc etc.

That's not relevant to the company though. Lots of people save money commuting by living closer to work, or they save money on lunch by making it at home, both of which are nto relevant to the company.

SpeedFreak · 6 Jul 2020 at 12:13

I would be inclined to think if it is exclusively for work then it is claimable, but haven't looked beyond the following on HMRC:

https://www.gov.uk/tax-relief-for-employees/buying-other-equipment
Buying other equipment
In most cases you can claim tax relief on the full cost of substantial equipment, for example a computer, you have to buy to do your work. This is because it qualifies for a type of capital allowance called annual investment allowance.

You cannot claim capital allowances for cars, motorcycles or bicycles you use for work, but you may be able to claim for business mileage and fuel costs.

You claim in a different way for small items that’ll last less than 2 years, such as uniforms and tools.

On that basis my monitor, chair and desk will be going through my return as they are used exclusively for WFH.

Nutty_Death · 6 Jul 2020 at 12:28

I was lucky as I had just set up our home office before lockdown with a decent chair, homemade desk and new monitor. Admittedly I play pc games there too. Since then I've bought myself equipment to dock my laptop and a second monitor for when I'm running remote workshops, yes I do benefit from this for my gaming which I know would likely be a reason not being able to expense for.
I also have had the option to get some of this equipment from work.

Regarding the argument about commuting and lunch. I cycle everyday and make my own lunch. I can provide a link to my Strava if you don't believe me, but I just find this point irrelevant.

Anyway as I said above. I'm fine that I can't claim tax back, was just enquiring.

DanTheMan · 6 Jul 2020 at 13:15

SpeedFreak said:
I would be inclined to think if it is exclusively for work then it is claimable, but haven't looked beyond the following on HMRC:

https://www.gov.uk/tax-relief-for-employees/buying-other-equipment
Buying other equipment
In most cases you can claim tax relief on the full cost of substantial equipment, for example a computer, you have to buy to do your work. This is because it qualifies for a type of capital allowance called annual investment allowance.

You cannot claim capital allowances for cars, motorcycles or bicycles you use for work, but you may be able to claim for business mileage and fuel costs.

You claim in a different way for small items that’ll last less than 2 years, such as uniforms and tools.

On that basis my monitor, chair and desk will be going through my return as they are used exclusively for WFH.

The stipulation is that you 'have to' buy them to do your work. If you're provided with a laptop from your employer then the chances are you don't have to buy a monitor to carry out that work. If you have a sofa or dining table / chair, you don't have to buy an office chair to carry out your role (obviously DSE applies here from your employer's perspective).

It's a different matter if you're self employed and have to buy these things to be able to carry out you work as nobody else is providing an alternative.

Mrwong · 6 Jul 2020 at 14:26

Try are claim subsidised lunch and free coffee..
But really should claim for anything you can, the company would .

Surveyor · 6 Jul 2020 at 14:44

Mrwong said:
Try are claim subsidised lunch and free coffee..

Please explain exactly what you're suggesting people claim for.

Psycho Sonny · 6 Jul 2020 at 14:45

Speak with your employer in the first instance.

In the second instance speak to a professional. Lots of bad advice and incorrect advice in this thread like the below. If you do not understand the published guidance.

However guidance is usually written so it is clear what you can and cannot claim for. If you can't work it out chances are it's not claimable.

Marvt74 said:
I believe the only available claim is something like £4/month to go towards utilities etc.

I'd be expecting your employer to re-imburse you personally through expenses.

Wrong. It's £6 per week and it's through self assessment and the guidance is all available online.