EAST Lancashire residents working from home because of corornavirus are being urged to claim tax relief for the additional expenses involved.

Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has set up a new online portal to help workers receive the cash concession.

So far has received more than 54,800 claims nationwide.

From April 6, employers have been able to pay staff up to £6 a week tax-free to cover additional costs if they have had to work from home.

Employees who have not received the working from home expenses payment direct from their employer can apply to receive the tax relief from HMRC.

HMRC’s Interim Director General of Customer Services, Karl Khan, said: “We want everyone to get the money that they are entitled to, so we’ve made the online service as easy to use as we can – it takes just a few minutes to make a claim.”

Once the application has been approved, the online portal will adjust an individual’s tax code for the 2020 to 2021 tax year. The employee will receive the tax relief directly through their salary and will continue to receive the adjustment until March 2021.

HMRC is also reminding employed workers, for example healthcare workers and care home staff, that they can also claim tax relief on work-related expenses, including cleaning their work uniforms.