On this page
In short
- Journeys in your own car to a posting, base or course of under 24 months are work travel.
- GYH and HTD payments are deducted; you claim tax on the rest.
- Uniform and mess dress upkeep: £100 flat rate (£80 in the Royal Navy) or the actual cost of cleaning, repairing or replacing it. The first purchase does not count.
- 81% of forces personnel who check with us are owed something.
Want the figures for your claim? See our armed forces tax rebate page, or check what you are owed in 60 seconds.
Postings as temporary workplaces
A posting expected to last under 24 months is a temporary workplace in HMRC's eyes. Weekend journeys home and back in your own car count as travel to it. Postings over 24 months, or where you knew from the start it would exceed 24 months, do not.
GYH, HTD and MMA
Get You Home, Home to Duty and Motor Mileage Allowance are what the MOD pays towards travel. They are deducted from the approved amount; you claim tax relief on the shortfall.
Kit and subscriptions
- Repairing or replacing uniform and mess dress you pay for
- Laundering where you pay: £100 a year (£80 Royal Navy)
- Professional bodies on HMRC's list, for example engineering institutions
Worked example
Ryan, Lance Corporal, 320 miles home most weekends from a temporary base, about 12,000 miles a year, some GYH paid. About £700 tax back a year, £2,800 over 4 years, £1,540 to him after fee.
Questions
I left last year.
You can claim any of the last 4 tax years, currently back to 2022 to 2023, in which you served and paid UK tax.
Will my unit know?
No. It is a claim to HMRC and does not involve the chain of command.
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.
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Work mileage tax rebate
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