In this section:
- Reclaiming tax if you've overpaid through your job
- Claim back tax if you've had too much deducted from your pension
- Tax return corrections and refunds
- Claiming a tax refund when you stop work
- Claiming back overpaid National Insurance contributions
- Claiming back Income Tax on behalf of someone who has died
- Getting tax-free interest on savings or claiming tax back
- Reclaiming tax on purchased life annuity income
- Understanding your tax refund
Understanding your tax refund
If you've received an Income Tax repayment it will either be following a claim you've made or because we've received new information about your taxable income or entitlement to allowances. The refund may come through your tax code or as a payment and could relate to the current tax year or earlier years.
Why you've received an Income Tax repayment
An Income Tax repayment is a refund of tax that you've overpaid. So, if you've paid too much tax for example through your job or pension this year or in previous years we will send you a repayment. You'll get the repayment either by cheque in the post, by bank transfer or through your wages.
We can refund you overpaid tax going back six years.
When might you have overpaid tax?
You might have overpaid tax if:
- your employer used the wrong tax code
- you started a new job and had an emergency tax code for a while
- you only worked for part of the year
- you had more than one job at the same time
- you didn't tell us right away about changes to benefits you got through your work
- your circumstances changed - perhaps you were made redundant or became self employed and therefore your income reduced
- other income like investments or rental income reduced but you didn't tell us
- you made a mistake on your tax return
- we made a mistake with your tax
All of these things and more can mean you paid too much tax.
If you've paid too much tax through your employment or company pension
Your Tax Office gives you a tax code that tells your employer or pension payer how much tax to take off your wages or pension before you get paid. If you've paid too much tax this year we may send you a new tax code and your employer or pension payer will pay you your refund with your wages or pension. If you've paid too much tax in earlier years we work out how much we owe you and send you a refund in the post or by bank transfer.
Get details of how you pay tax through your employment
If you've become unemployed, stopped work to return to studying or retired you may also receive a tax refund from us.
Learn more about when you might get a refund when you stop work
If you've overpaid tax through Self Assessment
If you've overpaid tax though Self Assessment you can ask for a refund or leave the overpayment in your Self Assessment account to set against future tax bills.
You can ask us to pay your refund to you, your agent or nominee or a nominated charity.
You can check the amount of the overpayment in your Self Assessment tax calculation, Statement of Account, or online Self Assessment Account.
Your refund will include any interest due on the amount overpaid.
Understand your Self Assessment tax calculation
Understand your Self Assessment Statement of Account
More about Self Assessment repayment claims
What to do if you think your refund is wrong
If you think your refund is wrong it's important to get in touch with us quickly so that we can put things right.
Find out how to correct mistakes in your Income Tax
More useful links
Find out how to report changes which might affect your Income Tax
