Working From Home: What You Can Claim
How to claim working from home expenses as self-employed. Simplified flat rates vs actual costs, what qualifies, and how to calculate your claim.
Key Actions
- Decide whether simplified flat rates or actual costs give you a bigger deduction
- Track your monthly working-from-home hours if using the flat rate method
- Calculate the business proportion of home bills if using actual costs
- Keep utility bills and broadband invoices as evidence
- Claim phone and internet costs separately if using the flat rate
If you're self-employed and work from home — whether full-time or part of the week — you can claim a portion of your household costs as a business expense. This reduces your taxable profit and the amount of tax you pay.
There are two methods: simplified flat rates or actual costs. This guide explains both so you can choose the one that works best for your situation.
Method 1: Simplified Flat Rates
The simplified expenses method uses fixed monthly amounts based on how many hours you work from home. No need to calculate proportions of bills — just track your hours.
The Flat Rates
| Hours worked from home per month | Monthly amount you can claim |
|---|---|
| 25 to 50 hours | £10 |
| 51 to 100 hours | £18 |
| 101 hours or more | £26 |
You need to work at least 25 hours a month from home to use this method.
How It Works in Practice
If you work from home 5 days a week, roughly 8 hours a day, that's about 160 hours per month — so you'd claim £26 per month, or £312 per year.
| Working pattern | Monthly hours (approx.) | Monthly claim | Annual claim |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full-time from home (5 days/week) | 160+ | £26 | £312 |
| 3 days per week from home | ~100 | £18 | £216 |
| 1 day per week from home | ~35 | £10 | £120 |
What the Flat Rate Covers
The flat rate covers general household running costs:
- Heating
- Electricity
- Lighting
- Water rates
- Council Tax
- Mortgage interest or rent
What It Doesn't Cover
Phone and internet are not included in the flat rate. You claim these separately by working out the business proportion of your actual bills.
Example: Your broadband costs £40/month. You estimate 60% of usage is for work. You can claim £24/month (£288/year) on top of the flat rate.
Pros and Cons
Pros: Simple, no receipts needed for home costs, less record-keeping
Cons: The amounts are low — if your actual home costs are high, you may get a smaller deduction than with Method 2
Method 2: Actual Costs (Proportion of Bills)
Instead of flat rates, you can calculate the actual proportion of your home running costs that relate to your work.
Which Costs Qualify?
- Heating and electricity — gas, electric, oil
- Water rates
- Council Tax
- Mortgage interest (not capital repayments)
- Rent (if you rent your home)
- Home insurance (buildings and contents)
- Broadband and phone
- Repairs and maintenance to the workspace (proportional)
How to Calculate the Proportion
You need a reasonable method of dividing costs between business and personal use. The two most common approaches:
By rooms:
Divide total costs by the number of rooms, then claim the share for your workspace.
Example: Your home has 4 rooms (excluding bathroom and kitchen). You use 1 room as an office.
- Annual electricity: £1,200
- Business proportion: £1,200 ÷ 4 = £300
By rooms and time:
If you don't work from home every day, apply a time factor too.
Example: Same 4-room home, but you work from home 3 days out of 7.
- Room proportion: £1,200 ÷ 4 = £300
- Time proportion: £300 × (3 ÷ 7) = £129
Full Example: Actual Costs Calculation
Sarah works from home 4 days a week in a 5-room house. Her annual costs:
| Cost | Annual total | Room share (1/5) | Time share (4/7) | Claimable |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electricity | £1,400 | £280 | £160 | £160 |
| Gas | £1,000 | £200 | £114 | £114 |
| Council Tax | £1,800 | £360 | £206 | £206 |
| Water | £480 | £96 | £55 | £55 |
| Broadband | £480 | — | 60% business use | £288 |
| Home insurance | £360 | £72 | £41 | £41 |
| Total claim | £864 |
Compare this to the simplified method: working 4 days/week ≈ 130+ hours/month = £26/month = £312/year. The actual costs method gives Sarah £864 — nearly three times more.
Which Method Is Better?
It depends on your situation:
| Factor | Simplified flat rate | Actual costs |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Part-time home work | Full-time home workers |
| Record-keeping | Minimal | More detailed |
| Typical annual claim | £120-£312 | £500-£1,500+ |
| Requires bills as evidence? | No (just hours log) | Yes |
| Can switch method each year? | Yes | Yes |
You can switch between methods each tax year, so it's worth calculating both and using whichever gives the larger deduction.
When Simplified Wins
- You work from home occasionally (1-2 days/week)
- Your home running costs are low
- You want minimal paperwork
When Actual Costs Win
- You work from home most or all of the time
- You live in an area with high housing costs
- Your energy bills are significant
- You have a dedicated room used only for work
Important Rules
The Trading Allowance
If you use the £1,000 tax-free trading allowance, you cannot claim working from home expenses (or any other expenses). The trading allowance replaces expense claims entirely.
No Capital Gains Risk
A common worry: "Will claiming home office expenses trigger Capital Gains Tax when I sell my house?" In practice, this is rarely an issue. CGT private residence relief may only be affected if a room is used exclusively for business with no personal use at all. If your office doubles as a spare bedroom or you use it personally outside work hours, this generally doesn't apply.
Be Reasonable
Whatever method you use, your claim needs to be reasonable and defensible. HMRC doesn't expect mathematical precision, but they do expect honesty. A fair estimate based on genuine business use is fine.
What Records to Keep
For the simplified method:
- A log of hours worked from home each month
- Phone and broadband bills (if claiming these separately)
For actual costs:
- All utility bills for the year
- Council Tax bill
- Mortgage statements or rent receipts
- Your calculation method (rooms, time, percentages)
- Any receipts for repairs to your workspace
Keep records for at least 5 years after the 31 January filing deadline.
This guide is for informational purposes only and does not constitute tax, legal, or financial advice. Tax rules change frequently. Always verify current requirements on GOV.UK or consult a qualified accountant for your specific situation.
Official Sources
- Expenses if you're self-employed - GOV.UK
- Simplified expenses if you're self-employed - GOV.UK
- Business records if you're self-employed - GOV.UK