How to Claim Tax Relief in the UK as an IMG

Don't despair when you see all the taxes and deductions made from your pay check. There are ways to claim tax relief back from the UK government - any extra costs or expenditures that the HRMC approves of. So how can you get paid back?

‘Tax relief’ means that you either:
-pay less tax to take account of money you’ve spent on specific things
-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.

Where do I start the process of claiming tax relief

So let's go through the steps to claim tax relief in the UK so that you can go about getting some cash back!

• Go to the Income Tax Relief website.
• Choose the option to claim tax relief if you're employed.
• Scroll down and select see if you can claim.

Yes you are!

Unless there are other dates you wish to claim for, choose this option.

You may wonder if your PLAB exam fees, PLAb 2 visa fees etc are covered, but if you weren't paying taxes during that time, it is not eligible to be claimed.

......unless you are. Then you choose yes. For the majority of us, the answer should be no.

We're almost there! Now you can outline what you want to claim back.

.....unless you are. You know your situation best.

You cannot claim on the things your hospital has paid you back for. Sometimes, you can claim for re-location or some study related expenses like ALS etc. - if you're hospital hasn't paid them back you can claim them to be tax free.

Professional fees and subscriptions is the option for most of us, but you can also choose to get relief on any scrubs you may have had to pay for, your stethoscope (if bought within the time period), and other expenses for travel that were necessary for your job.

Hopefully you're claiming for just the one, but you can claim for more if need be.

Congrats! Now let's continue

The application for claiming tax relief

Keep your pay slip handy.

• Input your employer details, PAYE number, and your job title.
• Opt for a flat rate deduction if you feel it will be the best for your situation.
• Add on allowances for a car or bicycle if you have sufficient proof and mileage to show. This can only be claimed for temporary places of work.
• Next you can claim for gas spent on a company car.
• You can then look to claim back any travel expenses incurred for business travel.

Next choose the professional body fees you'd like to get relief on.

Other expenses for which you can claim

You can also claim on:

• Indemnity cover,
• Royal college subscriptions,
• Exam fees,
• Mandatory courses with travel,
• e-Portfolios, etc.

If you are wondering about other ways you can save some of your precious paycheck please check how to make a budget.

You'll get a confirmation after the completion and submission of your application and you can expect to see a change in your tax code on your next pay slip!