Can I claim tax relief on my finance payments?

Yes, you can claim tax relief on the interest of any amounts you pay as part of a finance agreement.

Many mechanics and other vehicle technicians purchase tools and equipment for work use through a finance agreement. The tax office allows you to claim tax relief on the interest portion of your payments. The relief is available to both employed and self employed tax payers.

A claim for tax relief on the interest part of your finance payments can be made at the same time as tool tax rebate claim or separately.

What type of purchases does this finance payments tax relief apply to?

Tax relief on finance payments usually applies to purchases that are eligible for a capital allowances claim like a tool box. These types of finance agreements are usually offered by large suppliers like Snap on and MAC Tools.

Can I claim tax relief on finance payments’ interest for dual purpose items?

Yes, for dual purpose items, you can claim a proportional amount of tax relief, based on the percentage of business usage.

What evidence do I need to support my finance payments tax relief claim?

You will need to send HMRC financial agreement documents as evidence to support your tax relief claim. Your tool provider should provide you with a finance agreement which is all you need.

Is there a deadline for submitting a finance payments tax relief claim?

A tax relief claim for finance payments can be backdated for four tax years, after which any refund will not be paid. You have four years to submit your finance payments tax relief claim before you lose your money.

Reviewed by Tony Shanks, Operations Director Tax Rebate Services and member of Association of Tax Technicians (ATT)
Tool tax refund calculator

It doesn’t matter what your job is if you buy tools for work you can claim a tax rebate. Just enter the total of how much you’ve spent on tools to get your tax rebate estimate.

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Mechanics tax rebates
If you do not have receipts your ‘Flat Rate’ claim can be backdated for 4 tax years and is worth £120 per year…
A tools tax rebate is available to all mechanics who buy the tools they use for work themselves, when they are not reimbursed by their employer…
£900 is the average tax refund amount we get for our clients that are mechanics making an initial claim…
You have to play your part in the process by submitting a tax rebate form or using the correct section of the self assessment process…
Tool tax rebates

If you are paid under PAYE, tools are tax deductible because you can claim Capital Allowances which gives you tax relief on what you have bought…

The tax relief regulations are very specific about eligibility criteria. And the Capital Allowances rules are not exclusively for self employed taxpayers…

If you are claiming back capital allowances for the actual cost of your tools there is no HMRC limit to how far back you can claim a tool tax rebate…
The amount you get for a tool tax rebate is dependent on several factors, including: how much you earn, how much tax you pay, how much you have spent on tools, what evidence you have to support your claim…
Types of tool tax rebate
Yes, you can claim the tax back on tools you have bought for work…
These can be actual items, like machinery, vehicles or equipment; or intangible things, like patents, or intellectual property…
The government has set up a system of tax reliefs and allowances for work expenses to make the system fairer for taxpayers…

HMRC’s rules state that capital allowances should be claimed within your self assessment tax return (Section 3i and ii, CAA 2001)…

Tool tax rebates other expenses and tax returns
Yes, you can claim a tool tax rebate and a uniform rebate all at the same time…
Yes, if you have to complete a tax return you must enter your tool expenses on your return…
Yes, you should submit a tax refund claim for tools, fuel and anything else that applies to you all at the same time…
Yes, even though you may now be self employed, you can still potentially claim tax relief for when you were employed under PAYE…