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When you can get tax relief for household expenses

If you have to work from home you can get tax relief for the extra household expenses that you have to pay. Typically these extra expenses include:

• the extra cost of gas and electricity to heat and light your work area
• business telephone calls

You won't be able to get relief on domestic expenses that you're paying anyway - like your mortgage or council tax. You also won't be able to get relief for expenses that relate to both business and private use - such as your telephone line rental, or Internet access.

How much relief you can get

From 2012-13 onwards, for payments of up to £4.00 per week, or £18 per month for monthly paid employees, you don’t need to provide any records of the household expenses you’re claiming relief for. For amounts above £4.00 you will need supporting evidence to show that the amount you are claiming is no more than the additional household expenses you have actually incurred.

The guideline rate for 2008-09 to 2011-12 was £3.00 per week and for 2007-08 and earlier years it was £2.00 per week.

What if you volunteer to work at home?

You might volunteer to work at home under a 'homeworking arrangement'. A homeworking arrangement is an agreement with your employer that you'll work at home on a regular basis.

You don't have to work at home every day but there must be a regular pattern - for example two days at home and three days in your employer's premises each week. The work you do at home must be work that you're required to do as part of your employment.

If you've got an arrangement like that, your employer can contribute towards your expenses of working at home - £4.00 per week (from 2012-13) or more if you can show that you had to spend more than that. You won't have to pay tax and National Insurance contributions on the amount.

However, if your employer doesn't contribute you can't get tax relief for your expenses of working at home.

How to get tax relief for household expenses

To find out how you can get tax relief for your household expenses if you have to work at or from home, and the time limits for getting it, read the guide 'How to get allowances and reliefs - employees or directors' below.

• How to get allowances and reliefs - employees or directors

More useful links

• Tax allowances and reliefs - more information

• Tax allowances and reliefs - employees or directors

Useful contacts

• Money, tax and benefits contacts

• National Insurance Contributions Office