Paying for your own work uniform?

Can an employer make you pay for your own work uniform?
I’ve googled it and can’t find a straight answer but what I’m looking for is some actual legislation or similar facts, rather than just opinions….. 🙂

I know if you work in an office and wear a suit, you pay for your own suit etc, but I’m talking about clothes with the company logo on them, t-shirts, sweatshirts etc, the logo being the thing that makes a difference.

Cheers
🙂

It would seem odd. If they want the corporate logo look then I’d expect them to pay for the kit.

Edit: That’s my opinion, sorry 😉

if you do have to you’ll find you can claim something back off the tax man anyway. I used to work in care with provided uniforms yet we had to launder them ourselves and its a tax deductible cost, quite handy to know as you can claim it back for the last four years I think. Depending on the sector etc you work in the budget varies but could see a few quid in your pocket.

I’m told Ryan Air do this. You have to pay for everything apperently including an interview (although it is possible this just meant the expenses surrounding an interview).

Yep. I know about the laundry thing. That’s not answering the question though…! 🙂

Never heard of that before but (from HM Revenue) You can get tax relief on the cost of repairing, cleaning or replacing a uniform if:
It’s a recognizable uniform that shows you’ve got a certain sort of job – like a nurse or police uniform, your employer requires you to wear it while you’re working or you’ve got to pay for it yourself.

So based on the the last statement maybe they can but seems a bit out of order to me.

How is the new job going then ?

If they won’t pay, turn up nude. You’ll find action is taken fairly quickly.

I’m the other way round. Our company issued a whole load of new workwear with logos on which actually looks quite good. I fancied one of the rain coats for site visits and things, asked and was refused. I offered to pay and was refused that too! Bonkers.

Doesn’t sound right but how peeved I would feel about it would depend partly on whether I liked the uniform but also on how much they were charging you for it. Is it subsidised, at cost or profit making?

I know you didn’t ask for opinions but it’s all I’ve got 😐

When I worked for orange you could buy logo-ed polo shirts that meant you didn’t have to wear shirt and tie.

In a call centre…

If its got a logo on it and its just for work, no they can’t make you pay for it.

Edit: actually, I think that’s just PPE ( they have to provide that)

Thought you were going self-employed PP, no?

Anyway, I have no clue really but was under the impression that an employer had to supply you with PPE. I assume a uniform isn’t always PPE though. 😕

The wife has to buy her own uniform from BA just like Ryan Air employees.

I think its perfectly reasonable. I have to buy all my own work clothes and I can’t even get a tax deduction for them. And before you say anything, I am as likely to wear my work suit outside of work as my wife is to wear her pilot’s uniform outside of work.

Probably perfectly legal but would ring alarm bells for me about the quality of the company I was being employed by. Then again it’s better than bullshit like zero hour contracts.

There are no laws governing this. Check what your contract says.

All my work clothes are tax deductible as are the unreceipted expenses for laundering them every week. 🙂

Bike industry honeymoon over so soon? 😉

I think that buying your own uniform is common practice in the States; here less so. Employers have to provide PPE… but not obliged to provide anything else. In the current climate, watch this space…

I do some self employed work, which require us to buy our own uniform. I bought just under £300 worth late last year and now the work’s dried right up, a little annoyed to say the least.

Its not unknown for businesses to deduct the cost of a uniform from a workers wage.

In these cases take home pay (ie after the deduction) has to be above National Minimum Wage rates.

Is this the same place that made you work X months before you can buy anything at trade?

I’d tell them to do one. It’s bike shop.

Thanks for the comments. No real answer then? 🙂

Err yes you have to pay for it.
What is it a polo shirt? Suck it up sheesh 🙂

[anecdote][notfact]had a friend who worked for think the 3rd largest supermarket group in the UK and if working near the doors had to pay to have a company gillet[/anecdote][/notfact]

A friend worked in an AllSaints store, he had to buy a full outfit first day he worked there.

He did get staff rates of 50%, but if you know AllSaints prices by the time you’ve got a full outfit (and I mean full, socks included) hats easily £150 – £200 quid before you’ve even had your first coffee.

Is it in your contract…

mrs used to work in a private nursery, she had to pay for her uniform. guess it must depend on your employer/contract

Can an employer make you pay for your own work uniform?

Yes, though it depends what you mean by ‘make you’. Happy now?

Bike industry honeymoon over so soon?

My sentiments exactly 😉

The question has been answered by many – it’s yes, that’s just not the answer you hoped for I suspect!

Some jobs require you to drive your own car, so I suppose that’s similar. Wearing a uniform does after all save wear and tear on your own clothes.

If you have to shave or cut your hair for work, I guess you could claim the cost of razors or clippers from HMRC..? 🙂

If its Personel Protective Equipment it should be free issue and maintained / inspected by the company, but yours sounds more corporate so whilst its not free you can claim tax back on the cost of washing it and its a set allowance so no reciepts needed

Bikeshop uniform? That’s why you pretend to be nice to reps is’nt it? (says he with about a dozen shimano mechanics shirts 8) )

The only thing I’m wearing that wasn’t provided is my undercrackers.

The hospital I’m at now you have to buy your own uniform for certain wards. On the psych wards we all wear civvies and can include shoes / sunnies / clothes / suncream in our tax return. PPE is all free and we often have to wear aprons etc to clean up wee poo and sick as the cleaners aren’t allowed to do this (!) We also have stock of paper suits gloves and protective glasses for the more narcy pscyh patients who require secluding or rapid tranq as they generally don’t want to play and like to fight, spit, get blood on you or beat the crap out of you. I feel so much more protected in a white paper suit.

Yes they can make you pay as has been pointed out. PPE as mentioned they need to supply for you.

Rorschach – Member
Bikeshop uniform? That’s why you pretend to be nice to reps is’nt it? (says he with about a dozen shimano mechanics shirts)

Same reason you haven’t got a single sram one 😆

I was docked £15 for ‘uniform’ from my last paycheck at Budgens.

Presumably they bank on you not bothering to come back and causing a fuss about it infront of cutomers. Wouldn’t have been so bothered but it was crap polyester shirt in clashing colours, and in 2 years there they still hadn’t actualy supplied me with an actual uniform, just an old shirt with a dubious stain on the back!

Same reason you haven’t got a single sram one

Probably because they are out of stock at Fishers….

Boom!

Same reason you haven’t got a single sram one

Nah,it’s cos the rep is a girls car driving douche 😆

Touche 😀

Charge them advertisement fees for putting their company logo on your uniform.