Are Prospect subscriptions tax-deductible?

Every year Prospect is contacted by members asking if their union subscription is eligible for tax relief.

Unfortunately, Prospect is a trade union and not a professional institution so your subscription does not qualify.

However, subscriptions for members of our Education and Children's Services group are tax deductible. This is because Aspect, as an independent union, was also a professional institution and this role has continued following its merger with Prospect in 2012.

Outside of the Education and Children's Services group, only one part of the union subscription is eligible for relief – the amount used to provide death benefits to members' dependants.

Prospect's expenditure on death benefits in 2014 was £88,000, which represents approximately 1.13p – or 0.54 per cent – of a member's subscription.

For a basic rate taxpayer the 1.13p that is eligible would yield 20p in tax relief.

Revenue self-assessment return forms require taxpayers to enter figures in whole pounds only, so the claim can be rounded to £1 – which unfortunately does nothing to raise the value of the relief beyond 20p.