Working from Home
Newsletter issue - March 2012.
If you work from home as an employee or director of your own company, or for any other employer, you can claim £3 per week (tax free) to reimburse you for the costs of running your home as your work-base. This claim needs to be made to your employer directly, not to the Taxman.
If the additional costs of running your home while you work there exceed £3 per week you can put in a higher claim for the costs incurred, but you do need to back-up that claim with copies of energy bills etc. You also need to work out the additional costs quite precisely, which can be tricky, but is possible if you are methodical. We can help you calculate the amount to claim and advise on what evidence you need to keep. If you just claim the flat £3 per week, you don't have to provide any calculations or evidence in the form of bills.
The Taxman has just announced that the £3 per week expense limit for working at home is to increase to £4 per week from 6 April 2012. It was last increased from £2 to £3 per week on 6 April 2008, so an increase is well over-due.