Working from home (also known as remote working or e-working) is where you work from home for substantial periods on a full- or part-time basis.You may be able to claim tax relief on the additional costs of working from home, including electricity, heat and broadband.This document provides practical information and advice on tax relief for working remotely from home.
COVID-19 and working from home
The COVID-19 emergency has had a big impact on working life in Ireland. Organisations are asking staff where possible to work from home to prevent the spread of the virus.
If you have been asked to work from home because of the COVID-19 emergency, you may be able to claim tax relief against the cost of home expenses.
Budget 2021
It was announced in Budget 2021 that the following expenses will be covered as an allowable home expense for e-working tax relief. This begins in the tax year 2020 and applies for the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic:
- 30% of broadband costs for days worked at home
- Other vouched expenses where they are “wholly, exclusively and necessarily” part of your work
You can only claim for these expenses if your employer does not already make payment towards the expense
How do I know if I qualify?
E-working is where you work from home for substantial periods on a full- or part-time basis.
To qualify as an e-worker, you must:
- Have a formal agreement with your employer that you are required to work from home
- Be required to perform essential duties of employment at home
E-working involves:
- Working for substantial periods at home
- Logging onto a work computer remotely
- Sending and receiving email, data or files remotely
- Developing ideas, products and services remotely
You are not entitled to claim tax relief if you bring work home from the office outside of normal working hours, for example in the evenings or at weekends.If you are a cross border or frontier worker employed in the Republic of Ireland and normally resident in Northern Ireland, and you meet the other eligibility criteria, you can also claim tax relief on e-working.
How much one can claim?
If your employer pays you a working from home allowance towards these expenses, you can get up to €3.20 per day without paying any tax, PRSI or USC on it. If your employer pays more than €3.20 per day to cover expenses, you pay tax, PRSI and USC as normal on the amount above €3.20. You should note that employers are not legally obliged to make this payment to their employees.
If your employer does not pay you a working from home allowance for your expenses, you can make a claim for tax relief at the end of the year. You will get money back from the taxes you paid.
If you share your bills with someone else, the cost is divided between you, based on the amount paid by each person – see Example 2 below.
Your refund of tax is based on:
- How many days you worked from home
- The cost of the expenses
- Revenue’s agreed rate for calculating the cost of running a home office
Revenue’s rate for the cost of running a home office is 10% of the cost of electricity and heating. This means that you can claim 10% of the total amount of allowable utility bills against your taxes. You can also claim 30% of broadband costs for the tax year 2020. This applies for the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic.
What expenses can I claim?
Tax relief on e-working covers the additional costs of working from home. This includes:
- Heating
- Electricity
- Broadband
- Other vouched expenses where they are “wholly, exclusively and necessarily” part of your work
Items you buy, such as laptops, computers, office equipment and office furniture, are not allowable costs.
How to apply
You can claim tax relief online using Revenue’s myAccount service. You can use Revenue’s Receipts Tracker App to upload your receipts and bills. You can watch a short video explaining how to upload receipts.
To complete an Income Tax return online use the following steps:
- Sign into myAccount
- Click on ‘Review your tax’ link in PAYE Services
- Select the Income Tax return for the relevant tax year
- In the ‘Tax Credits and Reliefs’ page (Page 4 of 5) select the ‘Your job’ tab. Select ‘Remote Working Expenses’ and insert the amount of expense at the ‘Amount Claimed’ section
You must be able to account for each expense you intend to claim. This means keeping a record of all receipts and bills. You should keep all documentation relating to your claim for 6 years from the end of the tax year to which the claim relates.
You may also need a letter from your employer stating that you work from home.