Firefighter Uniform Tax Refund

Many firefighters still take pride in wearing heavily soiled and well-worn personal protective clothing, However, this has changed. Over the past 15 years, the fire service has increasingly embraced the fact that when it comes to health and safety, keeping protective clothing clean is as important as wearing

many studies have shown that firefighter protective clothing picks up a range of highly toxic contaminants, some of which are known to cause long-term health disorders so It is vital to the health of firefighters to properly clean bunker gear following a fire to prevent the transfer of carcinogens, particulates and biohazards.

To properly clean your uniform Use soap-and-rinse products. They work together to remove the dirt and detergent. If your washed gear has that citrus smell, it hasn’t been rinsed thoroughly. So what else remains in the garment? Remember this “dirt” is made up of carcinogens, which cause cancer. When you purchase a washer, you should test your water. It needs to be pH balanced, and you must determine the appropriate metered doses of soaps so members know how much to use for each cycle.

The gear must be washed in an extractor, a washing machine specifically designed to extract most of the water out of the garment. Once it is washed, hang the garment vertically to dry. The weight of the water in the garment helps keep it from shrinking. The outer shell should dry in about two to four hours, if hanging alone. The liner may take as long as 24 hours to dry. Be patient. Wearing wet gear could subject you to severe steam burns. The water remaining in your gear can turn to steam at a temperature as low as 212°F and cause first- or second-degree burns.

For extreme contamination of products from combustion, fire debris, or body fluids, removal of the contaminants by flushing with water as soon as possible is necessary, followed by appropriate cleaning. In the case of blood-borne pathogens, recommended decontamination procedures include using a 0.5% to 1% concentration of Lysol, or a 3%–6% concentration of stabilized hydrogen peroxide. Liquid glutaraldehyde, available through commercial sources, will also provide high to intermediate levels of disinfectant activity.

The industry recognizes that hand washing is generally not able to remove the ground-in soil embedded in the material fibers and usually only serves to remove surface dirt. However, in the event that you do not have access to a washing machine and must hand wash your garment, remove your liner system and lay the outer shell on a non-abrasive hard surface. Using a soft bristle scrub brush and a detergent (not soap).

HMRC recognizes that you that will spend a lot of money for the upkeep of your uniform. For most occupations there is a laundry allowance but a higher allowance is allowed to the fire service due to the unique and special care that it needs.

So If you are a fireman in the UK and you wear a uniform then you are entitled to a tax rebate for all that money spent cleaning and also the Unpaid labor hours dedicated to taking care of it. And you can claim for the past four year.

To qualify for the rebate you need to Pay for the laundry or upkeep yourself. If the money isn’t coming out of your own pocket, you can’t claim back tax on it and needless to say that you will need to Pay income tax. Again, this is just common sense. You can’t claim back tax you aren’t paying in the first place.

HMRC will refund you Flat rate deductions which are amounts that have been agreed with HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC). The deductions cover what’s typically spent each year by employees in different trades. If the amount you’ve spent is more than the flat rate, then you will have to send the receipts to the HMRC.

Dues paid to professional societies related to your occupation as a firefighter are deductible. However, the costs of initial admission fees paid for membership in certain organizations or social clubs are considered capital expenses. Deductions are allowed for payments made to a union as a condition of initial or continued membership. Such payments include regular dues, but not those that go toward defraying expenses of a personal nature. However, the portion of union dues that goes into a strike fund is deductible.