Many dental nurses have to pay for their own work-based expenses, including GDC registration and indemnity cover, and it can feel a bit sore when you pay out of pocket. But don’t fret! Thanks to a handy tax relief form, you can claim these expenses back, meaning you get yourself a nice little refund.
How much can you claim?
Using your Gov.uk account, you can claim back up to five years’ worth of expenses. You can claim expenses online from up to five employers, or more via postal form. There is a limit of £2,500 of expenses for the tax year you’re claiming on. You need to have paid tax in that year, and you need to have paid for the expenses being claimed yourself (you cannot claim if they were covered by your employer).
What can you claim on?
- The expenses that you can claim tax relief on include:
- GDC registration;
- Indemnity cover;
- Laundering your own clothes;
- Professional subscriptions (where the company subscribed to help you to do your job, e.g. if you pay for CPD or medical emergency training).
The form allows you to submit the claims relevant to your circumstances. For example, you cannot claim for GDC registration if your employer paid for it for you, but you can claim for other things you’ve paid for yourself as long as they are related to your job. You cannot claim for something that does not help you to work.
How do you claim?
You can find the form (either postal or online) for submitting your claim here.
You can choose whether to submit online (for up to five employers) or via post (for over five employers), and you will then need to have the following items to hand in order to answer the questions when prompted:
- Recent payslip;
- A Gov.uk account;
- Receipts/accounts of your expenses you wish to claim for.
The process is quick and simple to follow and takes no time at all. Extra advice and guidance can be found on the government website via the link above.
What happens once I’ve claimed?
When your claim is complete and you have submitted your form, HMRC will assess your details and decide whether you are entitled to tax relief. Any relief owed will then come in the form of a refund, usually paid through your payslip. You may receive a letter from HMRC detailing any money owed.
Don’t delay – claim today!
Many people find the thought of submitting a claim daunting and a little scary, but you will find it to be much easier than you could have imagined! HMRC have made the forms simple to use, and the details needed should all be within your personal arsenal already. And remember, if you do it once, you’ll know how to do it in the future, so don’t miss out on submitting your claims!
Written by Natasha Garthwaite BSc, RDN
