How to Apply For a Tax Rebate
Fact: Builders are busy. Making time to manage your finances isn’t easy, and applying for a tax rebate is no different. It’s especially hard when you’re not sure which is the best place to start.
To save you time, we’ve outlined the two ways you can apply for a tax rebate here; going direct to HMRC or using a specialist tax rebate service such as Brian Alfred. Including the pros and cons. So you can make your choice, start your application and get the money you’re entitled to as quickly as possible.
Am I entitled to a tax rebate?
If you’ve had to pay out of your own pocket for work-related expenses, then yes, you’re entitled to a tax rebate. The exact amount depends on what you bought and how much you spent.
To make it easy to check how much your rebate might be, we’ve created a handy online Tax Rebate Calculator. Just take a minute to fill the amounts in with your figures. The chances are you’ll be pleasantly surprised.
How do I apply for a tax rebate?
First of all you need to get all your figures together, so you know as accurately as possible how much you’ve paid out on everything in HMRC’s criteria. The main areas are travel, subsistence, tools and uniforms, accommodation and union fees/subscriptions. If you’re not sure, you can check exactly what you’re entitled to claim for here.
Once you know the amounts you can process your claim directly with HMRC or through a specialist like Brian Alfred. There are advantages and disadvantages to each, and which you choose will likely depend on how comfortable you are doing paperwork and how confident you are that you’ll be able to maximise your claim.
How do I claim through HMRC?
The HMRC website is fairly easy-to-use, and once you’re registered you can do everything on the HMRC website.
Whilst HMRC have attempted to make the tax rebate service as simple as possible, there are unfortunately a few things missing:
- You receive little to no support
- You will have to wait a while for your rebate to reach your bank
- There’s no compliance check
- Your rebate will be taken as face value as HMRC will not look to maximise your rebate amount
How do I apply for a tax rebate through a specialist?
Alternatively you can use a building trade tax rebate specialist. Because they do this all day every day, they can help make the whole rebate process as swift, simple and error-free as possible. All you need to do is fill in your details and share any receipts you have. The specialist will do everything else. Although there is a fee involved, since you won’t spend any working hours processing the claim yourself it should be cancelled out – especially since the specialists are likely to spot things you’ve forgotten to claim for or, more importantly, prevent you making a costly mistake.
What makes Brian Alfred so special?
At Brian Alfred you can start your claim right away: just download our pack and send it in with proof of expenses. What makes our service a bit more special is that we’ll make sure the rebate is in your bank account within 24 hours (wherever possible). Much better than waiting weeks or months for HMRC to process your claim!
To apply for a tax rebate through Brian Alfred download our pack, fill it in, then send it back to us with copies of receipts/proof of expenses. We’ll let you know how much your rebate will be and then once we have your confirmation, this will be in your bank account in as little as 24 hours.