MILLIONS of Brits have been working from home for over a year now to help stop the spread of the coronavirus.
Rules banning employees from going into the office will finally be lifted from July 19 as the PM looks to remove all lockdown restrictions “irreversibly”.
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Chancellor Rishi Sunak issued a rally call yesterday to workers urging them to return to the office, declaring that it was “really important” for younger staff.
It will also give a much needed boost to city centre businesses who rely on the commuting trade.
While some workers will be delighted with the prospect of seeing colleagues again and not having to long on from their living rooms, others have enjoyed the flexibility working from home has brought them.
But how do you approach this topic with your boss?
We explain how to talk to your employer to keep some flexible working policies in place after Freedom Day rolls out.
What are my flexible working rights?
Employers are legally within their rights to tell you where they’d like you to work once stay at home restrictions have been lifted.
But at the same time, employees also have a legal right to ask for flexible working if you’ve been employed at the company for more than six months, law firm Doyle Clayton partner Dan Begbie-Clench said.
How to claim tax back on energy bills when working from home
TAX can be claimed back on up to £6 a week to help cover the additional costs of working from home, such as higher energy bills.
Prior to April 6 when the new financial year began, tax could be claimed back on expenses of up to £4 a week.
For those paying the standard tax rate of 20%, £1.20 per week can be claimed.
While for people who pay tax at the higher rate of 40%, £2.40 per week can be claimed.
Additional rate tax payers who pay 45% can claim £2.70 a week.
To claim tax back on working from home costs complete a P87 from online.
It’s fairly straightforward with a Government Gateway account which you may already have or you can set up, or you can complete a paper P87 form.
In the section called “using your home as an office”, you’ll be asked to enter the amount you paid.
You won’t have to show receipts or prove this is how much you spent.
You’ll also be asked to enter the amount repaid by your employer. This will be zero if you haven’t been reimbursed.
If you have been reimbursed you can’t claim back the tax – your employer has already included this.
You usually get the money back by paying less tax, rather than receiving a refund. Your tax code may be adjusted to show this.
The time it takes for this to happen can vary and there are likely to be a larger number of claims than usual so there could be delays.
However, this does not mean that your boss has to agree to your request – companies can stop employees working from home if it has “good business reasons,” Dan said.
But he added: “It’s likely to be more difficult for employers to completely reject requests to work flexibly if the employee can show that they performed the job well whilst working from home during the lockdown.”
How can I ask my boss for more flexible working?
Just because your company doesn’t legally have to have flexible working policies in place doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll be stuck in the office five days a week.
Many companies are choosing to let Brits work from home – even after July 19.
Britain’s biggest 50 firms are planning to keep flexible working in place – and said they have no plans to make staff work in the office full time.
But if your employer is less keen on letting you work from home, here are a few tips on how to ask for the benefit.
Dan added that there is helpful guidance you can use on the gov.uk website to help you request flexible working.
He said employees should “explain whether their request to work flexibly might have an impact on their team, performance and the business and how they would deal with it.”
Citizens Advice recommends you show some flexibility on your part too, offering to come into the office part-time when possible.
They added: “Start by having an open conversation with your employer about your wishes, and consider making a flexible working request, which is a legal right all employees have.
“You can include your reasons why working from home is better for you and will also help the business.”
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