Q: As part of my professional role, I belong to a professional body, for which I pay membership fees each year. It’s becoming somewhat expensive to keep it going but it is nonetheless an important part of my job. Somebody mentioned they had claimed tax relief for the membership fees. Is this possible?
A: Yes, it is true that you can claim tax relief on professional membership fees. To be eligible for this, the membership is important to have for you to do your job, according to the official HMRC guidance. You can also claim relief on annual subscriptions you pay to approved professional bodies or learned societies, “if being a member of that body or society is relevant to your job”, the guidance states. But if you didn’t pay yourself – for example, your employer stumped up the money for the fees – then you can’t claim the relief. The other key thing to bear in mind is that your professional body must be on the approved HMRC list. To check if yours is, please visit this page.
