WFH Expenses PAYE

Faolchu

Guys



little unclear what the situation is with Working From Home as a Paye worker. I've been contracting for years so it was all pretty clear to me as to what i could claim (€3.20 a day plus a portion of broadband and phone). previously id be WFH 1 maybe 2 days a week so I'd suck it up sitting at the kitchen table



But what about PAYE? I've landed a fixed term contract thats PAYE, I'll need to invest in a desk and chair, maybe a monitor coz chances are I'll just be given a laptop to work from. assuming the new boss doesnt pay for the desk and chair is there a way I can claim it back from revenue? I can see that if the new place doesnt offer a daily allowance you can claim from revenue based on 10% of your utility bill, they're even kind enough to give a nice little formula but what if you dont actually receive a utility bill as such (oil heating) is it just a case of using the receipt from the order?

Mrs OBumble

Faolchu wrote: »

But what about PAYE? I've landed a fixed term contract thats PAYE, I'll need to invest in a desk and chair, maybe a monitor coz chances are I'll just be given a laptop to work from. assuming the new boss doesnt pay for the desk and chair is there a way I can claim it back from revenue? I can see that if the new place doesnt offer a daily allowance you can claim from revenue based on 10% of your utility bill, they're even kind enough to give a nice little formula but what if you dont actually receive a utility bill as such (oil heating) is it just a case of using the receipt from the order?

You can ask the employer for desk, chair and monitor. If they say "no, here's a laptop and 3.20 a day ", then there's nothing you can claim.

namloc1980

Faolchu wrote: »

But what about PAYE? I've landed a fixed term contract thats PAYE, I'll need to invest in a desk and chair, maybe a monitor coz chances are I'll just be given a laptop to work from. assuming the new boss doesnt pay for the desk and chair is there a way I can claim it back from revenue? I can see that if the new place doesnt offer a daily allowance you can claim from revenue based on 10% of your utility bill, they're even kind enough to give a nice little formula but what if you dont actually receive a utility bill as such (oil heating) is it just a case of using the receipt from the order?

You can't claim any tax relief on furniture or equipment you buy yourself so you're best to ask your employer to provide it if you don't want to pay out yourself. If they say no then you either manage with what you have or pay up. From the Revenue's own site on this:

Note

Capital items such as laptops, computers, office equipment and office furniture purchased by you are not allowable costs.

You can claim 10% relief on electricity and heat bills and 30% on broadband bills.

https://www.revenue.ie/en/jobs-and-pensions/eworking/index.aspx

sterling10

my Wife was working at home from March to July but is now back in office, I am still WFH, we are jointly assessed, can we both claim 10% each from the time she was working from home?

blindsider

From the IT on 30/10/20:

https://www.irishtimes.com/business/work/bought-a-desk-or-a-chair-revenue-rules-out-tax-relief-for-home-workers-1.4395367

Home workers across the country will be disappointed to learn that they will not be able to claim tax relief against many items, such as a laptop, printer or chair, that they may have bought over the past number of months to help them work from home.

However, there is some good news from Revenue, as home workers will be allowed a higher deduction on their tax bill for broadband costs, compared with heating and electricity.

With hundreds of thousands of normally office bound PAYE taxpayers working from home as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, many are hoping that tax reliefs will help defray the cost of keeping a home office running.

However, the latest clarification from Revenue is likely to disappoint many. According to a spokesman, “ capital items”, such as laptops, computers, office equipment and office furniture, purchased by an employee are not allowable deductions under Section 114 of the Taxes Consolidation Act (TCA) 1997.This means that unless your employer reimburses you for the cost of such purchases, you won’t be able to get anything back from the taxman and will bear the full cost yourself. The rules for the self-employed are different however, in that such expenses can be deducted from their tax bills.

In better news, Revenue has clarified the announcement in the Budget that broadband costs will now become an eligible expense, with a deduction of 30 per cent allowed. This compares favourably with heating and electricity costs, both of which are only allowed a deduction of some 10 per cent. The broadband concession will apply for the 2020 tax year and “for the duration of the pandemic” Revenue said.

However, it should be remembered that this rule only allows you to claim a credit on the 30 per cent portion of your tax bill - and must be apportioned on the basis of the number of days worked from home over the year. So, for example, someone paying tax at 20 per cent will pay €27 less in tax by claiming 30 per cent of total broadband costs of some €450, while a taxpayer on the higher 40 per cent rate, will save €54 in taxes.

The most financially beneficial solution when working from home is when an employer pays an employee a daily stipend of €3.20 (which is not subject to benefit-in-kind), or about €800 a year, to cover their work from home costs. However, many employers do not offer this benefit, despite the change in working habits seen this year.

namloc1980

sterling10 wrote: »

my Wife was working at home from March to July but is now back in office, I am still WFH, we are jointly assessed, can we both claim 10% each from the time she was working from home?

From the revenue

If the cost is shared between two or more people, it can be apportioned based on the amount each paid.

Basically one of you can claim the tax relief against the full amount of the bills but not both of you.

Faolchu

balls


cheers guys looks liek I'll suck it up for a month or two before i ask the new boss