Many people think that getting tax refunds for PAYE workers is impossible. For them, it might be. The truth is that expertise and experience is required to maximise the claim, whilst keeping the taxpayer safe from any HMRC enquiry.

The Rules

The rules for any claim regarding a PAYE worker are much more strict than the rules for a claim regarding a self-employed worker. For a PAYE worker, the expenses claimed must be necessary for the performance of the job. This may include uniforms, required training, PPE, tools, dry cleaning, hotel accommodation for a temporary job, etc. In most cases, the largest expense available to claim is travel. Usually, travel expenses from home to work and work to home are exempt, meaning they cannot be claimed, however there are some instances where this exemption does not apply. One of these instances is where an employee is travelling to a temporary worksite. For example, this may apply to scaffolders who are working at a site in one town for no more than a few months and then moving onto another site in another town quickly after that. In this example, expenses would be allowable and the scaffolder would be likely looking at a sizable tax refund claim. This is only one of the many rules that we can use in your favour to get your hard-earned money back in your pocket.

Examples Of Allowable Expenses

Travel
As explained above, if you are required to travel for the purpose of your work you may be able to claim these travel expenses. If you have to go to temporary worksites (for a duration of less than 24 months) you may be able to claim these travel expenses. If you have to go to multiple different locations for work, expenses for travel to some of these locations (even from home) should be allowable and can be claimed for.

These include fuel, car payments, insurance, public transport costs and more. There are plenty of opportunities to make claims for travel expenses as an employee and we make the most of them.

Required Training
If your job requires you to undergo training (e.g. health and safety, fire safety, general development, etc.) we may be able to claim these expenses.

PPE
Buying PPE (e.g. hard hats, boots, safety vests, goggles, etc.) needed for your job are allowable expenses and can be claimed.

Tools
Buying tools which are necessary to complete a job but which your employer expects you to provide can be common in construction and are allowable expenses which we can claim for.

Dry Cleaning
Let's say you work with cement. Getting cement off of your clothes and PPE can be very difficult and often requires a specialist dry cleaner. This is allowable expenses which can be claimed for.

Hotel Accommodation
If you have taken a temporary job and need to pay for hotel accommodation to do the job properly, this is another example of an allowable expense that we can claim for.

What Can I Get?

At Maximoor, the bulk of our tax refund claims are made on behalf of either workers operating under the Construction Industry Scheme (CIS) or workers in construction whose income is subject to PAYE. Compared to CIS workers, the refund that PAYE workers get tends to be lower. This is mainly for two reasons: the CIS scheme tends to deduct more tax from self-employed workers than is necessary, however for PAYE workers the tax deducted is much more accurate to begin with; also, the level of allowable expenses is lower for PAYE workers than for CIS, as discussed above.

Our observation after thousands of claims is that a PAYE claim going back 4 years generates the same tax refund as a 1 year CIS tax refund claim. Although, this can vary, we have PAYE clients with tax refunds of over £4,500 (after our fees). Our tax team know exactly what to claim to get you the best refund possible.

Is It Risky?

Whenever a tax refund claim is submitted to HMRC, HMRC are entitled to enquire into the claim. These enquires can happen after your tax refund is already paid to you, and HMRC have a one year window to decide to make them. They can be harsh and difficult to deal with, depending on your circumstances.

When you make a claim with us, our Maximoor Guarantee will protect you from HMRC enquiry. If HMRC launch an enquiry into any of the returns that we submit, we will deal with the enquiry free of charge.

How Do I Get Started?

Making a claim with us is simple. Look through our website to learn more about our service and get in touch with us for a risk-free conversation. You only need to continue your claim with us if you're happy with our service and the amount of your refund.