Driver and warehouse tax relief guide

In short

Placements expected to last under 24 months can be temporary workplaces, but if you work through an agency under anyone's supervision, direction or control, each placement counts as a separate job and the drive from home is ordinary commuting.
Heavy mileage between temporary workplaces is usually the biggest part of a driver's claim.
Hi-vis laundering and meals at temporary depots add up.
Company vehicle? Mileage drops out, the rest stays.

Want the figures for your claim? See our HGV driver and warehouse tax rebate page, or check what you are owed in 60 seconds.

The temporary workplace test

A workplace you attend for a limited duration or temporary purpose, expected to last under 24 months. Drivers and warehouse operatives employed directly and moving between temporary sites usually pass it. Agency workers under supervision, direction or control cannot claim the trip from home, though travel between sites within a placement can count. Permanent staff at one depot do not.

What else counts

£60 a year for laundering your own hi-vis or workwear; PPE itself is not claimable
LGV licence renewal and medical where you paid; ask your specialist about tachograph card and Driver CPC costs
Meals on shifts away from base, at actual cost. Food and subsistence
Extra charges for work calls, not line rental, the handset or calls inside your bundle

Worked example

Daz, directly employed driver, 9,000 miles a year to temporary depots, nothing paid. £4,050 relief, £810 tax back a year, £3,240 over 4 years, £1,782 to him after fee.

Over £2,500 a year?

Heavy mileage often crosses HMRC's £2,500 expenses line, which means Self Assessment rather than a P87. We handle either.

Questions

I drive an HGV for the company.

Your own commute to a temporary depot still counts. The HGV miles do not.

Umbrella company?

Usually still PAYE, so reliefs such as laundering can still be claimed. Under supervision, direction or control, travel from home to each placement cannot. Check your payslip shows tax and NI deducted.

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This guide is general information, not advice about your circumstances. Figures use HMRC rates for the 2026 to 2027 tax year. We are a paid tax agent and not HMRC.