'Tax relief’ means that you either:
- pay less tax to take account of money you have spent on specific things, like business expenses if you are self-employed
- get tax back or get it repaid in another way, like into a personal pension
You get some types of tax relief automatically - but some you must apply for.
When you can get Tax Relief
Tax relief applies to:
- pension contributions (external link)
- charity donations (external link)
- maintenance payments (external link)
- time spent working on a ship outside the UK (external link)
It also applies to work or business expenses – you may be able to:
- get tax relief on what you spend running your business (external link) if you are self-employed (a sole trader or partner in a partnership)
- claim tax relief if you are employed (external link) and you use your own money for travel and things that you must buy for your job