I am a Teacher. Can I claim tax relief for buying specialist clothing for work use?

As part of a teacher tax rebate claim for professional fees it is common for teachers to be able to claim back for specific types of clothing at the same time.

Teachers and lecturers are often required to purchase their own specialist clothing for use during their work. In many cases teachers and lecturers can claim a tax relief for the purchase of such clothing. If you have to launder the clothing yourself a laundering allowance worth £60 per tax year can also be claimed.

Examples of clothing classed as specialist and usually eligible for tax relief include; sportswear for Secondary PE teachers or primary teachers required to teach PE, science protective clothing required by science teachers for laboratory work and overalls and steel toecap boots for design and technology teachers.

Tax rebate claims made by teachers for the purchase or replacement of specialist clothing must meet certain criteria in order to be successful;

  • The clothing purchased must be paid for by the employee and not be reimbursed by their employer
  • The teacher must be contractually obliged to wear the specialist clothing

Receipts will usually be required by HMRC when making a specialist clothing tax relief claim. However if you were unaware of the tax relief available for such purchases it is still possible to make a claim. To be successful is normally not easy, and particular details will have to be explained to HMRC for a claim to be accepted.