Can security guards claim a tax refund?
Yes, security workers, including security guards and officers can claim tax refunds if they use their own or public transport for work purposes and if their employer does not reimburse them. You may also claim on your uniform, SIA license, hotel stays, and food.
How do I start a security worker claim?
Security workers can claim tax back on expenses from up to 4 years ago. You will need as much information as possible including receipts for fuel, overnight stays in hotels, and dry cleaning for maintaining your uniform. Claims can be if the same company still employs you, or if you have changed jobs or roles. To start a claim, we would need the following information:
• Copies of your payslips
• Site locations where you have worked
• Receipts of equipment purchased for work
• Employment contracts
• Any other relevant information you feel may help you
The more information we have, no matter how small or irrelevant you believe it to be, the better the chance of a bigger claim.
What types of security workers can make a claim?
Most security workers can claim their expenses, it’s not the type of security work that they do, but what qualifies as a work expense to get to and from a job, and to get the job done. Below are some of the security industries that can make a tax rebate claim:
• Security supervisor (to manage & control security functions & events)
• Private officers (security workers to patrol clients’ premises & grounds)
• Door supervisors (bouncers/doormen in pubs, clubs, and bars)
• In-house security (shopping malls, stadiums & amusement parks)
Can you claim a tax refund on security uniform costs?
Being a security worker often means you have to work in particular clothing and have specific safety gear. If you purchased the uniform yourself and pay to maintain it, you can claim a tax refund. If you are employed and your tax and national insurance contributions are paid through the PAYE system, you can claim on:
• Uniform cleaning costs
• Repairing work clothes
• Replacing work clothes
• Uniform upkeep (dry cleaning)
As a self-employed security worker, you need to register as self-employed and submit an annual self-assessment tax return. You can also claim for more than if you were in employment by a company. You can claim on your uniform, transport, business phone (landline or mobile), advertising, and administrative costs. You should keep all your receipts whether it is for laundry costs or SIA license renewals.
What information do you need for a security tax refund?
You will need to supply a list of places you have worked; your travel costs, any receipts for fuel, laundry, SIA renewal fees, and anything else you have paid for at your expense. You will also need documents including:
• Photo ID (driver’s license or passport)
• Proof of address (utility bills, bank statements, or phone bill)
• Wage slips
• P60 end of the year certificate
• P45
• MOT certificate (if claiming company car or van)
How long does it take to get a security tax refund?
For security workers, it takes HMRC between 8 and 10 weeks to process your claim.
What Can I Claim Tax Back On?
You can claim tax back on most work-related expenses. Below is a list of items that you can request a tax rebate on:
• Vehicles for work use
• Fuel/Mileage costs
• Travel expenses
• Overnight expenses (food in certain circumstances)
• Rail Tickets (single & season tickets)
• Uniforms, work clothing, and tools
• Cleaning costs for uniforms
• Professional fees, subscriptions & unions fees
This list is an example of what you could claim back; there may be expenses & items specific to the job role that you could claim back.
What are the Deadlines?
- Current legislation in the UK says you can go back up to four Tax years when claiming a Tax rebate. This means at the current moment in time you can make a claim for the following periods:
- Year ended 5th April 2020
- Year ended 5th April 2021
- Year ended 5th April 2022
- Year ended 5th April 2023
Effectively this means you can claim Tax relief from 6th April 2019.
Over such a long period of time wage slips and p60s can be lost or misplaced. This isn’t a problem as you have lots of ways to obtain this information.
- Contact your current/previous employers as they are legally obliged to keep your records going back 6 years and because of GDPR if your request that information they have to provide it to you.
- You could log into your government gateway which is easy to set up if you have never done this.
- Contact HMRC on 0300 200 3300 and request that they post out to you a tax history letter which usually arrives in 10 working days from when you request it from them and this tax history letter will go back 4 years.
Am I Due Any Tax Back?
Most workers, whether employed or self-employed may be due a tax rebate for work-related items, expenses or because they have paid too much tax. HMRC do not know everyone’s individual circumstances, and it is up to the taxpayer to contact HMRC to see if they are entitled to any tax relief.
Other reasons for a tax refund may include pension payments, redundancy payments, interest from a savings account, PPI, or UK income if you are living aboard.
All claims for tax refunds and rebates are reviewed on a case by case basis. Use our tax claim form and answer a few simple questions to see if you could be entitled to make a claim.
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