HMRC has updated ‘List 3’ its list of approved professional organisations and learned societies. While there do not appear to be any newly added bodies for 2021, 2020 was something of a bumper year. 12 new organisations were added to the list, including, somewhat surprisingly, a Berlin-based German IT body.

There is no taxable benefit if the employer pays the relevant membership fees or subscription on the employee's behalf provided that the fee is on the relevant list and is directly relevant to the employment.

New bodies, with effect from April 2020 added to List 3 include:

You can apply to add your professional organisation for inclusion on the list if its purpose is to:

The organisation should not be mainly local or carry out its activities for profit.

Useful guides on this topic

Employee guide: claiming tax relief on professional fees & subscriptions
What tax relief on professional membership fees and annual subscriptions? What's the legislation?

Self-employed: tax relief on training & course fees
Can a self-employed trader claim tax relief on their costs of training and ongoing development? Are training fees capital by nature?

External links

List 3

Apply to go on List 3  


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