Guidance

Check if you can claim flat rate expenses for uniforms, work clothing and tools

Find out what work-related expenses you can claim tax relief on for clothing and tools if you're an employee.

Published 1 January 2015
Last updated 1 February 2019 — see all updates

• From: HM Revenue & Customs

Overview

You can claim tax relief on flat rate expenses if you’re employed by someone and you:

• clean your work uniform
• spend your own money on repairing or replacing equipment you need to do your job

If your employer pays all of your expenses you cannot claim any tax relief.

Flat rate expenses allow you to claim tax relief for a standard amount (a ‘flat rate’) each tax year. The amount you can claim depends on your job and the industry you work in.

If you make a flat rate expenses claim you do not need to keep a record of what you have spent or any receipts.

If you want to claim the exact amount you have spent on expenses you must keep receipts and make a claim by post.

There are different rules for expenses if you’re self-employed.

What tax relief is

Tax relief reduces the amount of tax you have to pay.

The amount of tax relief you get will not be the same as the amount of expenses you have claimed for. You’ll get tax relief based on the rate at which you pay tax.

For example, if you can claim £60 and paid tax at a rate of 20% in that year, you’ll get tax relief of £12.

What you can claim tax relief on

You can claim tax relief on work expenses for the cost of:

• cleaning your uniform
• repairing or replacing your small tools (for example scissors if you’re a hairdresser, trowels if you’re a plasterer and spanners if you’re a mechanic)
• cleaning, replacing and repairing your specialist or protective clothing (for example hard hats, protective boots and overalls)

What a uniform is

A uniform is a set of specialised clothing that’s recognisable as identifying someone as having a particular occupation, for example nurse or police uniforms.

A uniform is not clothing of a similar design or colour that you must wear for work (for example, a bank who wants to promote its corporate image by requiring all counter staff to wear a shirt or blouse in their corporate colours).

You can claim tax relief if you wash the uniform given to you by your employer, unless your employer provides a laundering service and you choose not to use it and wash your uniform yourself.

Only nurses and midwives can claim for replacing shoes, socks and underwear.

You cannot claim tax relief for everyday clothing, even if you wear it for work.

Check if you can make an expenses claim

Check if you can make a claim using the online service, or the ‘List of industries and occupations’ table.

Use the online service

Check if you can claim online

You’ll then be able to make a claim online if you’re eligible.

Use the ‘List of industries and occupations’ table

1. Check the ‘List of industries and occupations’ table below to see if the industry you work in and your occupation is shown.

2. If your industry and occupation are not shown you can claim a deduction of £60, if your industry and occupation are shown check how much you can claim.

3. If your employer pays towards your expenses deduct the amount they pay to get the figure you can claim.

4. You can then make a claim by post, or enter the amount in box 18 of the SA102 page if you need to send us a Self Assessment tax return.

List of industries and occupations

This table lists the industries, occupations and how much tax relief you can claim.

Industry	Occupation	Deduction £
Agriculture	all workers	100
Airlines	pilots, co-pilots, helicopter pilots and uniformed flight deck crew	1,022
	cabin crew - stewards and stewardesses	720
Aluminium	a. 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
	b. cable hands, case makers, labourers, mates, truck drivers and measurers and storekeepers	80
	c. apprentices	60
	d. all other workers	120
Armed forces	all ranks in the: - army - Royal Air Force - Royal Marines	100
	- 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	a. joiners and carpenters	140
	b. cement works, roofing felt and asphalt labourers	80
	c. labourers and navvies	60
	d. all other workers	120
Building materials	a. stone masons	120
	b. tilemakers and labourers	60
	c. all other worker	80
Clothing	a. lacemakers, hosiery bleachers, dyers, scourers and knitters, knitwear bleachers and dyers	60
	b. all other workers	60
Constructional engineering (includes buildings, shipyards, bridges and roads)	a. 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
	b. banksmen, labourers, shop-helpers, slewers and straighteners	80
	c. apprentices and storekeepers	60
	d. all other workers	100
Electrical and electricity supply	a. workers incurring laundry costs only	60
	b. all other workers	120
Trades ancillary to engineering	a. pattern makers	140
	b. labourers, supervisory and unskilled workers	80
	c. apprentices and storekeepers	60
	d. motor mechanics in garage repair shop	120
	e. 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
Healthcare staff in the National Health Service, private hospitals and nursing homes	a. ambulance staff on active service	185
	b. nurses, midwives, chiropodists, dental nurses, occupational, speech, physiotherapists and other therapists, healthcare assistants, phlebotomists and radiographers shoes and stockings or tights allowance (where everyone is required to wear the same colour or style)	125 12 shoes 6 tights or stockings
	c. plaster room orderlies, hospital porters, ward clerks, sterile supply workers, hospital domestics and hospital catering staff	125
	d. laboratory staff, pharmacists and pharmacy assistants	80
	e. uniformed ancillary staff - maintenance workers, grounds staff, drivers, parking attendants and security guards, receptionists and other uniformed staff	80
Heating	a. pipe fitters and plumbers	120
	b. coverers, laggers, domestic glaziers, heating engineers and all their mates	120
	c. all gas workers and all other workers	100
Iron mining	a. fillers, miners and underground workers	120
	b. all other workers	100
Iron and steel	a. day labourers, general labourers, stockmen, timekeepers, warehouse staff and weighmen	80
	b. apprentices	60
	c. all other workers	140
Leather	a. curriers (wet workers), fellmongering workers and tanning operatives (wet)	80
	b. all other workers	60
Particular engineering (work on commercial basis in a factory or workshop producing components such as wire, springs, nails and locks)	a. pattern makers	140
	b. chainmakers, cleaners, galvanisers, tinners and wire drawers in the wire drawing industry and toolmakers in the lock making industry	120
	c. apprentices and storekeepers	60
	d. all other workers	80
Police force	a. ranks of police officers up to and including chief inspector	140
	b. community support officers including Metropolitan Police	140
	c. other police employees (but not special constables)	60
Precious metals	all workers	100
Printing	a. letterpress section-electrical engineers (rotary presses), electrotypers, ink and roller makers, machine minders (rotary), maintenance engineers (rotary presses) and stereotypers	140
	b. 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
	c. all other workers	100
Prisons	uniformed prison officers	80
Public service - docks and inland waterways	a. dockers, dredger drivers and hopper steerers	80
	b. all other workers	60
Public service - public transport	a. garage hands including cleaners	80
	b. 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 a. passenger liners	165
	b. cargo vessels, tankers, coasters and ferries	140
Shipyards	a. 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
	b. labourers	80
	c. apprentices and storekeepers	60
	d. all other workers	100
Textiles and textile printing	a. carders, carding engineers, overlookers and technicians in spinning mills	120
	b. all other workers	80
Vehicles	a. builders, railway vehicle repairers and railway wagon lifters	140
	b. railway vehicle painters, letterers, and builders’ and repairers’ assistants	80
	c. all other workers	60
Wood and furniture	a. carpenters, cabinetmakers, joiners, wood carvers and woodcutting machinists	140
	b. artificial limb makers (other than in wood), organ builders and packaging case makers	120
	c. coopers not providing their own tools, labourers, polishers and upholsterers	60
	d. all other workers	100

Get more information

Find out more information about claiming tax relief for your job expenses.

Published 1 January 2015
Last updated 1 February 2019 + show all updates

1. 1 February 2019

   The flat rate expenses you can claim tax relief on for uniforms, work clothing and tools have been updated.

2. 4 July 2018

   Guidance on how much tax relief the police force can claim has been updated.

3. 1 January 2015

   First published.