Working from Home.

 

9 Ways to Save Money Working from Home.

1. Claim tax relief when working from home

If you work from home for all or part of the week, you might be able to claim tax relief on additional household costs related to your work. Tax relief rules were relaxed during the Covid-19 pandemic when most workers were told to work from home. If you haven’t claimed tax relief from working from home during the 2020-21 or 2021-22 tax years, you should still be able to claim back £60 per year if you’re a basic rate taxpayer or £125 per year if you’re higher rate.

2. Ask your employer if they can provide equipment

Check with your employer about the equipment you need to be able to work from home. If you work from home regularly you might need a monitor or laptop stand to work comfortably – or additional furniture. Your workplace might have policies in place that allow you to borrow equipment from the office or have schemes to contribute towards the cost of new equipment, including desks and chairs.

3. Save what you’d usually spend at work

If you regularly work from home, consider putting aside what you would otherwise spend on commuting, lunch or coffees into a savings account instead. The Bank of England’s recent base rate rises mean that the savings rates being offered by many banks and building societies are more competitive than they were several months ago

4. Use your heating controls effectively

Using heating controls effectively can be a useful way to lower your energy bills. It’s all about trying to keep the parts of your home you’re actually in at a comfortable temperature, without wasting heat anywhere else. If you’ve got valves on your radiators, get into the habit of adjusting them when you go in and out of rooms

5. Use smaller appliances to cook your meals

Using smaller kitchen appliances such as a slow cooker, microwave or air fryer to cook your meals can often be cheaper to run than an oven, completing the same cooking task with less energy. A microwave can be used for everything from quickly steaming vegetables to baking potatoes, while combi microwaves with built-in convection ovens are even more versatile

6. Switch broadband and mobile provider

In some cases, switching could save hundreds of pounds per year.

7. Flexible train travel

If you have moved to hybrid working and travel to the office by train, it is worth considering a flexi season ticket. Which? found that some routes will see bigger discounts than others

8. Weigh up whether it’s cheaper to work from home or your workplace

Not everyone will have the opportunity to choose whether they work from home or go into their workplace

9. Explore home grants

Energy schemes and grants are available to help pay your energy bills or to support you with the costs of renewable heating

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Conclusion

“With energy bills on the rise, many of us will be worried about our energy usage this winter – particularly if you work from home regularly. 

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