A LITTLE LIIGHT RELIEF CAN HELP

YOUR tax return is also an opportunity to get relief back.

One option is to invest extra money in a personal pension and claim tax relief on contributions.

Hargreaves Lansdown personal finance analyst Sarah Coles said: “Basic rate 20 per cent tax relief is automatically deducted but 40 per cent and 45 per cent taxpayers must reclaim the extra tax relief on their return.”

The same applies to company schemes.

Coles added: “If you’re unsure, speak to your HR department to claim extra tax relief.”

The gov.uk website lists the expenses you can claim if you are self-employed.

Coles said: “This includes everything from car breakdown cover to magazines or newspapers and clothing with your logo on it, depending on what you use for work.”

If you are working from home you might be able to claim £6-a-week tax relief.

If you go through the process and realise you’ve made a mistake in previous years, you can claim a refund for overpayments for any time during the past four years.

You can also claim back 25p for every pound you have donated to charity throughout the year, says Jonny Sabinsky, communications head at thinkmoney.co.uk

He added: “Fill out how much you donated under the ‘Charitable giving’ section of page TR4.”

This doesn’t apply for any donation made under a payroll giving scheme, as tax relief is already applied.

Members of professional organisations can apply for tax relief for any fees or subscriptions paid to these institutions. Check approved bodies at portal gov.uk

In addition, nearly 1.8million married couples and those who in civil partnerships save up to £252 a year in tax by claiming marriage allowance. Couples are eligible if one partner earns less than the personal allowance of £12,570 and the other is a basic rate taxpayer.