What tax relief can teachers claim?
Teachers can sometimes claim tax relief on work-related costs their employer does not reimburse, such as subscriptions to approved professional bodies or unions and the upkeep of specialist clothing. The relief reduces your taxable income, and you claim it directly from HMRC.
See everything you may qualify for — benefits, grants, reductions and reliefs — in about 3 minutes. Free to check.
Check what you're owed →Teaching involves a number of professional costs, and some of these attract tax relief where the teacher pays them personally. Membership of an approved professional body or a qualifying trade union relevant to teaching can be relievable, provided the organisation is on HMRC’s approved list and you have not been reimbursed for the fee.
Specialist clothing can also feature for some teachers, such as protective or sports clothing needed for particular subjects, where it is genuinely required for the role and maintained at your own expense. As with uniforms in other jobs, ordinary clothes you could wear day to day do not qualify, even if you wear them for work.
The usual conditions apply: the cost must relate to your work and must not have been reimbursed by your employer. Individual claims may seem modest, but professional subscriptions in particular recur each year and can be backdated where you qualified in earlier years, so it is worth reviewing what you are entitled to as a teacher.
How teachers claim tax relief
- Identify your costs. List work costs you pay yourself, such as approved subscriptions and any required specialist clothing.
- Check eligibility. Confirm subscriptions are on the approved list and that any clothing is genuinely required and not ordinary wear.
- Keep records. Retain evidence of the amounts you paid for each year you want to claim.
- Claim from HMRC. Apply through HMRC or Self Assessment and consider backdating earlier qualifying years.
Frequently asked questions
- Can teachers claim professional subscription relief?
- Yes, where the professional body or union is on HMRC’s approved list, relates to teaching and you pay the fee yourself.
- Can I claim for specialist clothing?
- Sometimes, for genuinely required protective or specialist clothing you maintain yourself. Ordinary clothes worn for work do not qualify.
- What if my school reimburses costs?
- You cannot claim relief on anything your employer reimburses. Only costs you bear yourself are eligible.
- Can I backdate a claim?
- Often yes, for earlier years you qualified in but did not claim, within HMRC’s time limits.
MoneyFinder is an independent sign-posting service that helps you find financial support you may be entitled to. We are not a government body and do not provide financial advice. Figures are taken from the official sources cited above and were correct when last checked — always confirm current details on the linked GOV.UK pages.