What information do I need for a MOD tax rebate?
To start, you would need proof of identity such as a military ID, passport, or driving license and proof of address such as a bank statement or a utility bill. Tax refunds are available for all branches of the services, whether it is the Army, the Royal Navy (RN), or the Royal Air Force (RAF). Even if you have left military service, you can still claim if you were active in the last four years.
• Payslips
• P60 and P45s List of bases, including dates you were there
• Any courses you have to attend
• List of bases, including dates you were there receipts for mess dress
• Mess Dress and formalwear receipts
• Travel expenses (MOT certificates help in supporting a travel claim)
• Assignment papers, JPA (Joint Personnel Administration) can provide these
MMA (motor mileage allowance) and AMAP (approved mileage allowance payment)
• 45p (per mile) first 10,000 miles travelled.
• 25p (per mile) after first 10,000.
British Army and MOD accommodation rules
I live at home with my partner or parents.
As long as your home is your primary residence, you can claim for tax refunds.
I am married, and I live in married quarters.
If your married quarters are on or off a military base but you spend your leave time there, this will be classed as your main residence. The refund will be calculated on the mileage between your workplace and your quarters. If you receive Home to Duty allowance (HTD) this could restrict your claim. We can check it against the limits, and if there is a shortfall, it can be made up.
I live in a British Army single living accommodation.
If you are living full-time at a British military base, you are unable to make a claim. If you live on a base on a part-time basis and leave for weekends or during your official leave time to another address, this then becomes your main residence. If you are already receiving the Get You Home Travel allowance (GYH), but it does not cover all of the travel expenses, you can claim to make up for the shortfall.
I am based outside of the UK on a British military base.
If your base is outside of the UK on military bases in Germany or Cyprus, you can claim travel expenses from your UK residence. If your family (wife, husband, civil partner, or children) live with you on the base, this is most likely your main residence, and a claim is unlikely.
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 2021
- Year ended 5th April 2022
- Year ended 5th April 2023
- Year ended 5th April 2024
Effectively this means you can claim Tax relief from 6th April 2020.
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 you 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.
How long does a MOD tax refund take to process?
How long Tax takes to come back depends on two things:
- How fast you can get the required information to ourselves
- How busy HMRC are, which depends a lot on what time of the year it is
The sooner you start a claim process, the better as it can tax 8-12 weeks for HMRC to process a tax refund.
As deadlines apply for making claims, we advise you get in touch as early as possible to avoid disappointment.
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.
Stay Informed Subscribe now
Keep up to date with all the latest news and changes to make sure you don’t miss out on future refunds and tax savings.
