Christmas bonus for millions of workers

MILLIONS of employees in the service industry could collect an early Christmas present from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC). Workers including:- nurses, hairdressers, construction workers and those in retail and food may be able to claim rebates.

Staff in these types of roles sometimes have to dip into their own pockets to pay for work-related expenses like car mileage, replacing or repairing small tools, or maintaining branded uniforms. If they are paid through PAYE, they may be able to get some of that money back. And if they claim online now it could be in their accounts before 25 December 2018.

Workers are urged to go directly to:- Gov.UK to check if they can claim extra cash back. And, rather than use an agency, in a few clicks they could be on their way to claiming their full tax relief entitlement for genuine work related expenses.

A simple Check if You Can Claim tool is available online now...

If eligible, customers can log in to their Personal Tax Account to claim for their tax relief online and, if their claim is approved, be paid within 3 weeks.

Financial Secretary to the Treasury, Mel Stride MP, said:- "We know what a difference tax relief can make to hard working customers, especially at this time of year. HMRC is keen to make sure customers get all the relief they're entitled to by using their online service. Tax relief isn't available for all employment expenses, so the online Check If You Can Claim tool is very helpful; then if your claim is approved, your full tax relief will be paid directly into your bank account."

The majority of claims are for repairing or replacing tools and branded uniforms, professional subscriptions and mileage. Healthcare workers, people in food and retail and those in the construction industry are among the top professions to claim from HMRC.

Customers may be able to claim tax relief on the cost of:-

► Repairing or replacing small tools needed to do their job (for example, scissors or an electric drill.)

► Cleaning, repairing or replacing specialist clothing (for example, a branded uniform or safety boots.)

► Business mileage (not commuting.)

► Travel and overnight expenses.

► Professional fees and subscriptions.

Hospice Ladies Day kick starts Christmas

MORE than 300 ladies from across Merseyside enjoyed a fun and festive afternoon at:- 'The Titanic Hotel in Liverpool,' on Sunday, 25 November 2018, at the St. Joseph's Hospice Christmas Ladies Day.  Thanks to the incredible generosity of this year's guests, and match funders from:- Barclays, Barclaycard, HSBC, Experian and Shop Direct, the event raised an incredible ₤21,000.

During the day, the ladies enjoyed festive drinks, a delicious 3 course lunch as well as pampering treatments and exclusive Christmas shopping with twenty stalls selling a wide range of festive goodies and gifts. There was also a great deal of dancing, including a performance, by the Formby Fitness Belly Dance Class, who got everyone up and shaking their hips. The afternoon was hosted by Pauline Daniels and featured DJ Jeff Wall with live music from singer, Conor Clarke and guitarist Neil Owen. Hospice volunteers also provided a range of therapy treatments during the afternoon.

Laura Smith, fundraiser at St Joseph's Hospice, said:- "We all had a fantastic time at our Christmas Ladies Day. It was bigger than previous years and we had lots of new faces which was wonderful. This is a really important event as it raises a significant amount of money for the hospice every year. I want to say a really big thank you to all our match funders from:- Barclays, Barclaycard, HSBC, Experian and Shop Direct, and also to the twenty stall holders for providing a wonderful Christmas shopping experience for our ladies. Most of all, we want to thank all the ladies who came along to enjoy themselves on the day. Many of them support this event year after year and they all helped to make the day such a big success."