If you are a domiciliary care worker driving your own car between client homes, there is a good chance you are owed money by HMRC. Most care employers pay mileage at 20p to 25p per mile — well below the HMRC approved rate of 45p. That gap adds up fast, and you can claim it back as tax relief.
This guide walks through exactly how a care worker mileage claim works, what you could get back, and how to submit your claim step by step.
Why Care Workers Are Losing Out on Mileage
Home care workers are among the highest-mileage employees in the UK. Visiting six to ten clients per day means covering 40 to 80 miles in a single shift. Over a full year, that can easily reach 8,000 to 15,000 business miles.
HMRC sets an approved rate of 45p per mile for the first 10,000 miles and 25p per mile after that. This is the amount HMRC considers tax-free for using your own car for work. But most domiciliary care employers reimburse far less — commonly 20p to 25p per mile. Some pay nothing at all.
The difference between what your employer pays and the 45p HMRC rate is called the shortfall. You are entitled to claim tax relief on that shortfall through a process called Mileage Allowance Relief. Thousands of care workers miss this every year, leaving hundreds or even thousands of pounds unclaimed.
How Much Could You Claim Back? A Real Example
Let us look at a realistic example. Sarah is a domiciliary care worker in the West Midlands. She drives her own car to visit clients across the area and covers around 8,000 business miles per year. Her employer pays 20p per mile.
Here is how her care worker mileage claim breaks down:
- HMRC approved amount: 8,000 miles x 45p = £3,600
- Employer reimbursement: 8,000 miles x 20p = £1,600
- Shortfall (MAR claim): £2,000
Sarah does not get £2,000 back in cash. She gets tax relief on that amount. As a basic-rate taxpayer (20%), her actual refund is:
- £2,000 x 20% = £400 per year
Over four years (the maximum backdating period), Sarah could reclaim £1,600 — simply by submitting a P87 form for each year. If she were a higher-rate taxpayer at 40%, the refund would double to £800 per year.
Which Journeys Qualify for a Care Worker Mileage Claim?
Not every mile you drive counts. HMRC has specific rules about which journeys are claimable.
Journeys that qualify:
- Driving from your home to your first client of the day (if you have no fixed office base)
- Travelling between client homes during your shift
- Driving from your last client home back to your house
- Travel to mandatory training sessions away from your usual workplace
- Journeys to care homes or supported living facilities that are not your permanent base
Journeys that do not qualify:
- Your regular commute to a fixed office or care home where you work every day
- Personal errands during shifts
The key principle is the temporary workplace rule. A location counts as a temporary workplace if you attend it for fewer than 24 months and it represents less than 40% of your total working time. Most domiciliary care clients easily meet this test because you rotate between many different homes.
If you work as a home carer travelling directly from your house to each client — without reporting to a central office — then essentially all your work driving qualifies. For a deeper explanation, see our guide on temporary workplace rules and mileage.
How to Claim: The P87 Form Step by Step
For employed care workers who do not file Self Assessment, the P87 form is your route to claiming Mileage Allowance Relief. Here is how the process works:
1. Gather your records You need a log of every business journey: the date, start point, destination, business purpose (e.g. “client care visit”), and miles driven. You also need payslips or a letter from your employer confirming the mileage rate they pay.
2. Calculate your shortfall For each tax year, multiply your total business miles by 45p (or 25p for miles above 10,000). Subtract whatever your employer paid you. The difference is your MAR claim amount.
3. Submit the P87 You can complete the P87 online through your HMRC Personal Tax Account or post a paper form. If your total expenses are above £2,500 in a single year, you will need to file a Self Assessment return instead.
4. Backdate up to four years You do not need to limit your claim to the current tax year. You can submit P87 forms for up to four previous tax years. If you have been driving for work and never claimed, that could mean a substantial lump sum.
HMRC typically processes P87 claims within five to eight weeks, and the refund arrives as a cheque or BACS payment.
Keeping a Mileage Log That HMRC Will Accept
HMRC can ask to see evidence of every journey you claim. A complete mileage log should include:
- Date of each journey
- Start and end addresses (client initials are fine for data protection)
- Business purpose — e.g. “domiciliary care visit”
- Miles driven per journey
- Total for the tax year
Filling this in manually after every client visit is tedious and easy to forget. This is exactly why Tripbook exists. The app uses GPS to track your journeys automatically as you drive between clients. At the end of the tax year, you can export a complete, HMRC-ready mileage report — no spreadsheets, no guesswork.
Download Tripbook from the App Store and start building the mileage records your care worker mileage claim needs.
Zero-Hours, Agency, and Part-Time Care Workers
If you work on a zero-hours contract or through an agency, you can still claim. In fact, agency and zero-hours care workers often have an even stronger case because they are unlikely to attend any single location long enough for it to become a permanent workplace.
The same 45p rate and P87 process apply regardless of your contract type. What matters is that you are an employee using your own car for business travel and your employer pays below the approved rate.
Self-employed care workers claim mileage differently — through their Self Assessment tax return under simplified expenses. The same 45p/25p rates apply, but the claim goes through your tax return rather than a P87.
If your employer pays you less than 45p per mile — and most care employers do — you are entitled to tax relief on the difference. The process is straightforward: keep a mileage log, calculate your shortfall, and submit a P87 form. You can backdate claims for up to four years, so even if you have never claimed before, there could be a significant refund waiting.
Use Tripbook to track every journey automatically, then export your records when it is time to claim. The app handles the logging so you can focus on your clients.
Download Tripbook to start tracking your care worker mileage today.
