BRITS have just weeks left to claim back tax which could be worth thousands of pounds ahead of the National Insurance rise.

Taxes are set to rise in April but you can limit the impact of the jump by checking if you're owed a refund.

National Insurance will rise by 1.25 percentage points from April 6 , costing the average worker hundreds of pounds a year.

For example, an employee on a £25,000 salary will pay an extra £193 following the hike.

There are a number of schemes that allow you to reclaim tax, including if you work from home, wear a uniform or are married.

We explain how to get tax back before the National Insurance rise hits your finances in April.

Working from home tax relief – £500

There's still time to get the £500 a year working from home tax relief.

Most read in Money

If you've spent any time working from home in the last year, you can reclaim cash.

Even though the official advice to work from home has been dropped, many people spent at least some time away from the office in the last year.

You can claim up to £125 per year and with the option to backdate claims by up to four years, this means you could claim up to £500 in total.

It's available to claim if you have been told to work from home by your employer, even for just one day.

That means you can still claim money back if you're hybrid working and going into the office sometimes.

Under the scheme, your tax code is adjusted so you're not paying as much tax.

Claims for last year are paid as one lump sum in your salary while ongoing claims for this year will be factored into your monthly wage.

The scheme is designed to help people cover the extra costs of working from home, like energy bills and internet connections.

The government has created a handy online tool to help you get the working from home tax back.

The online service is easy to use and takes just a few minutes to make a claim.

Marriage allowance – £250 a year

This benefit is for married couples where one person earns less than the personal allowance.

The personal allowance is earnings up to £12,570 – meaning you won't be taxed on that portion of your salary.

If you're married or in a civil partnership, you can transfer your unused personal allowance to the higher earner.

Up to £1,260 can be transferred in this financial year, potentially saving you a maximum of £250.

But the higher earner must be a basic rate taxpayer, meaning they can't earn more than £50,270 a year.

You can backdate your claim to include any tax year since April 5, 2017.

If you're eligible, you can apply online as long as your have both of your national insurance number and some ID.

Council tax refund – £150

Millions of Brits will get a £150 council tax refund to help struggling households cope with the rising cost of living.

It is being offered to low and middle income families and will help to balance out the impact of rising council tax and energy bills.

Eligible residents will get the payment automatically.

You can make it easier by signing up to pay your council tax bill via direct debit.

This means the money will just be deposited back into the account you use.

Otherwise it could take longer for you to get your cash, although you will still be able to get it.

You may also be able to get a refund if you've previously overpaid your council tax bill.

For example, your council might let you backdate any discount you're entitled to.

Check with your local authority to find out what their rule on backdating claims is.

Income tax rebate – hundreds

You can get a refund on your income tax payments if you've paid too much.

You could have overpaid if your employer has put you on the wrong tax code.

For example, sometimes new employees are put on emergency tax codes when they change jobs.

This means you'll be charged a higher rate.

You can find out what tax code you're on by checking your payslip.

You can also use the government's online tool to work out how much income tax you should be paying.

If you think you're owed a rebate, you can also apply for this online.

They way you'll be paid depends on when you made the overpayment.

For example, if it was in your current job in the most recent financial year you might just get it in your pay packet when your tax code is corrected.

But if it was longer ago, the way you pay will be different.

Pensions tax relief – worth up to £10,000

When you pay into a pension, the government gives you tax relief on your contributions.

In fact, paying into a pension is the most tax-efficient form of saving, according to the Institute of Fiscal Studies.

But if you're a higher or additional rate tax payer, you may only get 20% tax relief added at source and you need to claim the rest yourself.

You can claim for additional tax relief through a self assessment return and you'll get:

• 20% up to the amount of any income you have paid 40% tax on
• 25% up to the amount of any income you have paid 45% tax on

This means you could get an extra 25% worth of relief. The annual allowance for pensions is worth £40,000 so an additional 25% would stack up to £10,000 extra.

Uniform tax relief – up to £2,300

Some workers can claim back money spent on uniform and other tools needed to do their job.

You could be eligible for the relief if you clean your own work uniform and spend your own money on equipment.

You may be able to claim tax relief on the cost of:

• repairing or replacing small tools you need to do your job (for example, scissors or an electric drill)
• cleaning, repairing or replacing specialist clothing (for example, a uniform or safety boots)

You'll either get the actual amount you've spent, and you'll need to keep receipts for this.

Or you'll get an agreed, fixed amount, known as a flat rate expense or deduction.

For most industries the flat expense rate is £60 per year, which means a basic rate taxpayer would get £12 of relief while an additional rate payer would get £27.

But some industries have rates that are significantly higher. For instance, the biggest flat rate expense is for pilots and uniformed flight deck crew.

If that's your industry, the allowance is £1,022 per year, which gives £204.40 for basic rate payers, £408.80 for higher rate payers and £459.90 for additional rate payers.

You can also back date your claim by five years.

So a pilot or crew member could net up to £2,299.50 with a five-year claim.

You can find the full list of rates on the government website.

Employer tax benefits – save thousands

Many employers offer tax free benefits such as a season ticket loan or childcare.

If your company offers season tax-free season ticket loans, you can save hundreds on travel costs. You need to check if your employer offers the scheme.

Tax-free childcare schemes are another perk that can save you significant cash.

You can get up to £500 every 3 months for each of your children to help with the costs of childcare. This goes up to £1,000 every three months if a child is disabled.

You need to earn less than £100,000 a year to qualify and you can apply for the benefit online.

Rent-a-room relief – save up to £3,375

The Rent a Room Scheme lets you earn up to £7,500 per year tax-free from letting out a room your home. 

If you're an additional rate tax payer, that means you recoup £3,375 on that you would otherwise have paid in tax.

If you usually self-assess, you can make a claim on your tax return, if you don't, you need to contact HMRC.

Charity donation tax relief

Donations to charity from individuals are tax free. You can get tax relief if you donate:

• through Gift Aid
• straight from your wages or pension, through Payroll Giving

If you pay Income Tax above the 20% basic rate, you can claim back the difference between the tax you’ve paid on the donation and what the charity got back when you fill in your Self Assessment tax return.

If you don’t fill in a Self Assessment tax return, call HMRC to tell them about your charity donations.

We pay for your stories!

Do you have a story for The Sun Online Money team?

Email us at [email protected]

Source: Read Full Article