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Tax relief available for

home working

Officers and staff required to work from home whole year even if you have only had to work increases and be able to apportion these
due to the pandemic can apply to Her from home for one day from 6 April this year. specifically to the fact you are working from
Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) for The tax relief is generally applied through home – and this becomes a much more
tax relief. an adjustment to your tax code unless you laborious process.”
This is due to the extra costs incurred by are already paying tax through the self- l Please remember tax is a personal liability
home working including increased electricity assessment process. and officers should always check what
and heating bills. MoneySavingExpert Martin Lewis they are entitled to when HMRC sends
Since working out the costs can be comments: “If you believe you have higher through their tax codes for the following
difficult, a general rate of £6 a week is applied increased costs than £6 a week, you can claim year to ensure any that become invalid are
and you are entitled to the tax relief for the more but you will need evidence of the cost removed.

Sam offers support to officers nationwide

Officers from across the country have be hard to decipher what you actually need
contacted West Midlands Police Federation to know. I am pleased that those who
workplace representative Sam Hughes for contacted me after seeing the articles were
help and support after she put together a able to make use of the guide I had put
list of tips and advice for anyone diagnosed together and I am hoping to build on this
with a serious illness. too.”
Sam came up with the list after West Midlands Police Federation is now
receiving treatment for breast cancer and working with Sam to have the tips
spending hours trawling through produced in a booklet format so that it can
paperwork and websites trying to decipher be more widely circulated.
what help and support was available to her Sam is liaising with the Force HR
and what the deductions taken from her managers to implement a programme of
wages each month actually entitled her to. changes to how the Force helps and
Her story was featured in the July supports people on long-term sick. This
edition of this magazine and was then includes designated points of contact, a
picked up by the national Federation buddy system, and changes to working
magazine POLICE. practices to make the process easier for
“After the articles were published, I was officers who are off sick and need support.
contacted by officers from as far afield as She has also encouraged Federation
Devon and Cornwall, Wales, Suffolk, members to ensure they subscribe to the
Norfolk and Sussex,” said Sam, “I heard Group Insurance Scheme after receiving
some quite disturbing stories, for example, Sam Hughes. ‘absolutely fantastic’ support from the Red
one officer explained she was struggling to diagnosed, so I wanted to be able to offer Arc counselling service provided through
get appropriate body armour after having support and practical guidance to help the scheme.
had a mastectomy but I also had some nice make other people’s journeys that little bit “They really provided me with a
feedback from officers who received the easier. The last thing you need when you life-line,” said Sam.
guidance I had put together. are having treatment and feeling unwell is Sam, who is based in the review and
“I can remember while I was to have to go through lots of paperwork or allocation team as part of the Public
undergoing my treatment thinking that it online resources to find out what you want Protection Unit, can be contacted by
would have been helpful to have had a tick to know. emailing Samantha.hughes@polfed.org if
list summing everything up for me. I didn’t “At the point of being diagnosed, you you would like a copy of the tips she has
know where to turn to when I was are bombarded with information but it can collated.

www.polfed.org/westmids federation December 2020/January 2021 09