Here's how to claim £6 a week in tax allowance if you work from home

If you've been working from home throughout the pandemic, you could be owed backdated payments by the government.

The payments are a form of tax relief and amount to £6 a week, or £26 a month.

Working from home means using up extra gas, electricity and sometimes phone minutes - expenses that can rack up quickly if you're working from home full-time.

The coronavirus expenses scheme, introduced by the government in April, is designed to give you money back on these kinds of payments and save you from being out of pocket.

You can apply for the scheme either through HMRC or your employer, but you'll only be eligible if you've been made to work from home by your employer.

If you're working from home by choice, you may not be eligible for any payout.

Through the scheme, you can claim back money to cover expenses relating to your work such as business telephone calls or extra gas and electricity.

You can't claim for things you've used both for private purposes and businesses purposes such as rent or broadband access.

If you've been working from home since March, you could be owed up to £156 in these expenses payments.

To apply, you can request an allowance of £6 a week from your payroll department, tax-free.

Alternatively, you can request the amount be deducted from your taxable income.

HMRC has said that claims in line with the employer's payment won't need to justify that figure - meaning no receipts or evidence of your expenses is required.

If you usually submit a self-assessment form, you can claim as normal through your next application.

For everyone else, a P87 form online using the Government Gateway service or a P87 postal form will need to be completed.

You'll need to provide details like your employer's name and PAYE reference as well as your job title.

In postal P87s, you'll also be asked for your national insurance number.