Key Points
- MoneySavingExpert founder Martin Lewis said workers who clean their own uniforms can claim a tax rebate directly on GOV.UK.
- HMRC sets a standard uniform allowance of £60 per year, which workers can backdate for up to four previous tax years.
- The standard refund pays basic-rate taxpayers between £12 and £60, while higher-rate taxpayers get between £24 and £120.
- Certain occupations qualify for larger allowances, including mechanics at £120, dental nurses at £125, and pilots at £1,000 per year.
- Lewis told employees to avoid commercial claims agencies, which charge fees of up to 50 per cent on refunds.
London (Cambridge Tribune) September 8, 2026 — MoneySavingExpert founder Martin Lewis has issued an urgent call to UK workers who wear branded clothing or specialist uniforms for their jobs, urging them to fill out a brief digital form on GOV.UK to reclaim tax relief owed to them by HM Revenue and Customs.
Speaking on a recent broadcast of BBC Sounds’ The Martin Lewis Podcast, the consumer champion highlighted that millions of employees across the country remain completely unaware that they are legally entitled to tax refunds for washing and maintaining their work attire. He explained that workers who clean their own uniforms can secure a cash rebate without paying commercial agency fees simply by submitting a P87 form directly to the government online portal.
What Did Martin Lewis Advise Workers to Do on GOV.UK?
As reported by Charlotte Smith of the Liverpool Echo, Martin Lewis detailed how employees who wear mandatory uniforms or branded workwear can claim a flat-rate tax allowance directly from HM Revenue and Customs.
Speaking during his podcast, Lewis stated: “If you wear a uniform to work, including just a branded t-shirt or overalls, and crucially, you wash and have to maintain them yourself, and you don’t use them elsewhere… then you are entitled to a very small tax rebate, which is back dateable up to four years.”
The financial journalist emphasized that claiming this tax relief requires no specialist knowledge and involves minimal time. However, he cautioned members of the public against using commercial refund claims agencies that routinely flood social media platforms with advertisements promising to recover uniform tax.
Referring to third-party claims management companies, Lewis stated: “To claim it, you do not need to pay anyone to do it. There are people who advertise — don’t. It is dead easy. There is a form on gov.uk. It is called Tax Relief for Employees Uniform. Just search ‘gov.uk Tax Relief for Employees Uniform’. Or, if you do a self assessment form, you do it in your self assessment tax return.”
How Much Money Can Employees Reclaim Through the Scheme?
The basic uniform allowance set by HM Revenue and Customs stands at £60 per tax year. Because this allowance reduces an individual’s taxable income, the actual cash value received depends directly on the taxpayer’s income tax bracket.
For a basic-rate taxpayer paying 20 per cent tax, a £60 allowance translates into a £12 annual tax saving. For higher-rate taxpayers charged at 40 per cent, the saving equals £24 per year. Because HMRC allows claims to be backdated for four previous tax years in addition to the current tax year, total refunds can accumulate rapidly.
Explaining the backdated mechanics, Lewis stated: “Now the tax saving on £60 for a basic rate tax payer is £12. If you pay tax at the 40% rate it is £24 a year. But you can back date it four years. It can be £60, it can be £120.”
Do Certain Professions Receive Higher Allowances?
While the £60 figure represents the standard flat-rate minimum for general workers, specific trades and professions attract higher standardized limits based on industry demands and specialized clothing requirements.
Highlighting industry variations, Lewis stated: “So, a dental nurse, for example, the allowance is £125, which means it is worth £25 a year at the basic tax rate. Pilots’ allowance is £1,000 a year, though most pilots will know about it, which means it is worth £200. A mechanic’s allowance is £120 a year.”
According to guidelines from MoneySavingExpert, ambulance staff are eligible for a specialized allowance of £185 annually, while joiners and carpenters can claim up to £140 per year.
Who Qualifies for the Uniform Tax Rebate?
To successfully claim uniform tax relief via GOV.UK, employees must satisfy strict criteria established by HM Revenue and Customs:
- Recognizable Attire: The item worn must be a distinctive uniform that identifies the wearer’s job or employer, such as a branded polo shirt, nursing scrubs, or a full police kit. Plain clothes without branding — even if purchased strictly for workplace wear, such as generic black trousers or a business suit — do not qualify.
- Employee Maintenance: The worker must bear the responsibility and financial burden of washing, repairing, or replacing the clothing themselves.
- No Alternative Facilities: Claims are invalid if the employer provides laundering facilities at the workplace or pays an allowance to cover maintenance expenses.
- Taxpayer Status: The applicant must have paid income tax in the relevant tax years for which they are submitting a claim.
Background of Tax Relief on Work Expenses
The tax relief mechanism on employee expenses is governed under Section 336 of the Income Tax (Earnings and Pensions) Act 2003, which allows workers to deduct expenses incurred “wholly, exclusively and necessarily” in the performance of their duties. Recognizing that keeping track of receipts for detergent and laundry electricity would create administrative gridlock for both workers and tax officers, HMRC established Flat Rate Expenses (FRE) for specific industries and general uniform maintenance.
Over the past decade, however, commercial claims management companies (CMCs) have capitalized on widespread public unfamiliarity with the P87 claims process. These third-party entities frequently use target-marketed social media advertisements to collect taxpayers’ personal details, process the simple GOV.UK forms on their behalf, and extract fee deductions ranging from 30 to 50 per cent of the total rebate. In response to consumer protection concerns, financial consumer advocates have continuously campaigned to direct workers away from fee-charging intermediaries and toward the government’s free digital portals.
Impact Prediction: How This Development Affects Working-Class Households
This intervention by Martin Lewis will directly benefit low-to-middle income UK workers who routinely wear branded or mandatory workwear, such as retail assistants, hospitality workers, healthcare staff, and tradespeople. By bypassing third-party claims management firms and utilizing the free P87 form on GOV.UK, individual workers stand to retain 100 per cent of their statutory entitlements.
For a basic-rate taxpayer reclaiming uniform expenses across the maximum permitted five tax years, an direct cash infusion of up to £60—or up to £120 for higher-rate taxpayers—will be issued as a lump-sum payment or applied directly to their PAYE tax code, increasing their ongoing monthly take-home pay. While individual payouts for standard uniforms remain modest, the collective diversion of millions of pounds away from commercial claims agencies directly reinforces household budgets across the UK during ongoing cost-of-living pressures.
