IPSA (Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority) pays the costs necessary for MPs to perform their parliamentary duties. Recently MPs were granted an additional £10,000 in what they were allowed to claim in expenses.  The extra allowance is to enable office staff who normally work in their office to be able to provide support when now working from their own homes. Not every body will have a workstation laid out in their home if they are used to an office space elsewhere.

There was a bit of a stooshie about this. But if your employer has asked you to work from home they should also be making sure that you have the equipment to do so safely.

The rules for employees in relation to ‘use of home as office’ contains a specific exemption from a tax charge. They allow payments made by employers to employees for additional household expenses to be tax free, where the employee incurs those costs in carrying out the duties of the employment under homeworking arrangements. ‘Homeworking arrangements’ means arrangements between the employee and the employer under which the employee regularly performs some or all of the duties of the employment at home. Trinity Accountants

Employer homeworking expenses include:

• equipment, services or supplies you provide to employees who work from home (for example computers, office furniture, internet access, pens and paper)
• additional household expenses, such as gas or electricity charges, for employees who need to work from home [UK Gov]

Employers can find out more about this here: Expenses and benefits: homeworking

Employers have a duty of care for their employees and this includes ensuring they have equipment that is safe to use if they are being expected to work from home.

Link :Coronavirus (COVID-19): employer response guide

For employees Citizens Advice Scotland provides excellent information.

Links:

• Coronavirus – if your employer has told you not to work
• Coronavirus – what it means for you

Related article: Some tips to help with working from home

Image Credit: Bell