Care workers missing out on HCPC registration tax relief

A survey by the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) shows that just 28 per cent of registrants have claimed back the tax paid on their HCPC registration fees.

By claiming back tax from the HMRC, the £80 annual registration fee is effectively reduced by 20 per cent for standard rate tax payers to £64 – saving £16 a year.

The survey also showed that 46 per cent of registrants were not aware of the tax relief available to them whilst a further 15 per cent thought the process would be too complicated.

However, there are two easy options for claiming back tax paid on registration fees.

•     If you already fill in a tax return, you can claim tax relief from your registration fees on the employment page of the return.
•     If you do not file a tax return, you can claim tax relief using form P87: Tax relief for expenses of employment, available to download from the HMRC website. 

Marc Seale, Chief Executive of the HCPC, commented: “We make every effort to manage our costs as efficiently as possible and are very conscious of the financial landscape that both we and our registrants are working in. With that in mind, we’re taking this opportunity to remind registrants that claiming back tax on their registration fees is quick, easy and offers significant savings.

“It is also possible to claim back tax on membership fees from professional bodies in the same tax year if the organisation is on HMRC’s approved list, as well as other eligible employment expenses.”

You can also claim tax relief for fees paid in the past if you have not already claimed for that year. Please see the HMRC website for more information about tax relief.