How to Claim a Tax Refund from HMRC: P800s, Work Expenses and Self Assessment Repayments

If you have paid more tax than you owe, you claim it back from HMRC either by responding to a P800 calculation, by making a claim through your personal tax account, or, if you file a return, by requesting a repayment through Self Assessment. Refunds paid to a bank account normally arrive within five working days, and you can go back four tax years. This guide covers each route, the common reasons for overpaying, and how to avoid the refund companies and scam texts that cluster around the subject.

Why people overpay tax

• An emergency or incorrect tax code, often after starting a new job.
• Stopping work part way through the tax year, so the personal allowance was not used in full.
• Having two jobs where the second was taxed at BR on all income.
• Paying for work expenses, uniforms, tools or professional subscriptions out of your own pocket.
• Pension contributions or Gift Aid donations by a higher rate taxpayer who has not claimed the extra relief.
• Tax deducted from a pension lump sum at an emergency rate.
• Payments on account that turned out to be higher than the final bill.

P800 letters and simple assessments

After the tax year ends, HMRC reconciles the PAYE records of everyone who is not in Self Assessment. If you overpaid, you receive a P800 tax calculation, usually between June and November, showing the amount and how it was worked out. Check it against your P60 and P45s; the figures come from employers and are not always complete. The letter tells you how to claim, which is normally online. If HMRC thinks you underpaid, the letter is a simple assessment (PA302) with a payment deadline instead.

Claiming through your personal tax account

Sign in to your personal tax account or the HMRC app. If a refund has been calculated, it shows on the front page with a "claim your refund" option. Enter your bank details and the money arrives within about five working days. If you do nothing, HMRC sends a cheque after about 21 days, which takes longer and is easier to lose.

If no refund is showing but you believe you have overpaid, use the "check your Income Tax" section to correct the income or employment details HMRC holds for the year, which triggers a recalculation.

Refunds for work expenses and uniforms

Employees can claim tax relief on costs that were wholly, exclusively and necessarily for work and not reimbursed by the employer: uniform laundry (a flat rate, £60 a year for most jobs), tools and protective clothing, professional subscriptions on HMRC's approved list, and business mileage in your own car above what the employer paid. Working from home relief can no longer be claimed from 2026/27, though you can still claim for the previous four tax years if your employer required you to work from home rather than you choosing to. Claims up to £2,500 a year go on form P87, online or by post; above that you need to file a return. Flat-rate claims, such as the £60 uniform allowance, need no receipts. If you claim the actual amount you spent, HMRC asks for evidence such as receipts or a letter from your employer, so keep records.

Self Assessment refunds

If your return shows that you paid too much, including through payments on account, the overpayment appears as a credit on your statement. It is not refunded automatically. In your online account choose "request a repayment", enter bank details and HMRC pays within two to four weeks. HMRC does security checks on a proportion of repayments, particularly large ones or first claims, which can add several weeks; a letter asking you to verify your identity is normal in that case. If you prefer, you can leave the credit to reduce the next payment on account.

Time limits

You have four years from the end of the tax year to claim. During 2026/27 the oldest year you can claim for is 2022/23, and that window closes on 5 April 2027. The same four-year limit applies to expense claims, Marriage Allowance backdating and corrections to a filed return. The exception is overpayment relief where HMRC made an error, which has its own rules.

Refund companies and scams

Two things to be careful of. First, tax refund companies advertise heavily and take a large cut of claims you could make yourself in minutes; some have used assignment forms to have whole refunds paid to them. HMRC no longer accepts assignments and now requires these firms to register, but the fees remain. Second, HMRC never texts or emails a link to claim a refund. Messages that do are scams designed to collect your bank details. Genuine refunds are only ever claimed by signing in to GOV.UK yourself.

What Cloudkeepers can do

For clients in Self Assessment we check every year whether payments on account, PAYE deductions and reliefs have left a credit, and we request the repayment as part of filing. If you are an employee with a one-off claim, the personal tax account route above is free and quick, and we would rather you used it. For anything more involved, see the Self Assessment service.