Uniform Tax Rebate 2026/27: Claim Free and What You Really Get
You can claim tax relief for cleaning a work uniform and maintaining tools - a £60 flat rate if your job has no set amount. The relief is the tax on that (£12 at 20%), and you claim it free from HMRC, not through a claims firm.
If you wear a uniform or protective clothing for work and pay to keep it clean, you can claim tax relief - and you can do it for free. This is the relief that claims companies advertise as a "uniform tax refund", but you rarely need them.
What you can claim
You can claim tax relief for:
- cleaning, repairing or replacing a recognisable uniform or specialist protective clothing you must wear for work;
- repairing or replacing small tools you buy for the job.
You cannot claim for:
- the initial cost of buying the uniform or clothing;
- ordinary clothes you could wear outside work, even if you only wear them for your job.
How much you get
You can either claim the actual amount you spent (with records) or, more commonly, an agreed flat rate expense for your occupation. If your job is not on HMRC's list, the standard flat rate is £60 a year. Many jobs have higher agreed rates, for example:
| Job | Flat rate expense |
|---|---|
| Most jobs (no set rate) | £60 |
| Healthcare - nurses, midwives, therapists, care workers | £125 |
| Police (up to chief inspector) | £140 |
| Carpenters and joiners | £140 |
| Welders and blacksmiths | £140 |
| Cabin crew | £720 |
| Airline pilots and co-pilots | £1,022 |
The bit claims firms hope you miss
The relief is the tax on the flat rate, not the flat rate itself. HMRC's own example: claim a £60 flat rate and pay tax at 20%, and you pay £12 less tax - not £60.
So a nurse on the £125 rate saves £25 a year at 20%; a welder on £140 saves £28. Higher-rate (40%) taxpayers save twice as much. It is real money, especially backdated over five years, but it is nowhere near the headline flat-rate figure - which is exactly what "uniform tax refund" adverts count on.
Claim it free - do not pay a middleman
You claim directly from HMRC online or on form P87. It is free and takes a few minutes. Claims companies submit the identical claim and then keep a large percentage of your refund as their fee. For a straightforward uniform claim there is no reason to use one.
You can backdate a claim by up to 4 tax years plus the current year, so a first claim can cover five years at once. After that HMRC normally builds the allowance into your tax code, so the relief keeps coming automatically without you claiming again each year.
Related guides
Uniform relief is one of several things employees can claim. See the working from home tax relief guide for another employee expense, and, if you are a police officer, the police constable pay page which sits inside the £140 flat-rate group.
Frequently asked questions
How much is the uniform tax rebate?
If your job has no agreed rate you can claim a £60 flat rate expense; many jobs have higher agreed rates. But the rebate is the tax on that amount, not the amount itself - at the 20% basic rate a £60 flat rate is worth £12 a year, and a £140 trade rate is worth £28. Higher-rate taxpayers get twice as much.
Can I claim the uniform tax rebate for free?
Yes. You claim directly from HMRC online or on form P87 - it is completely free and takes a few minutes. Claims companies that advertise 'uniform tax refunds' do exactly the same claim but keep a large slice of your rebate as a fee, so it is almost always better to claim yourself.
What can I claim uniform tax relief for?
You can claim for cleaning, repairing or replacing a recognisable uniform or specialist protective clothing you have to wear for work, and for repairing or replacing small tools you buy for the job. You cannot claim for the initial cost of buying the clothing, or for ordinary clothes you could wear outside work.
How far back can I claim the uniform tax rebate?
You can claim for the current tax year and the 4 previous tax years. If you have been eligible that whole time and never claimed, a single claim can cover all five years at once, after which HMRC usually adjusts your tax code so the relief continues automatically.