HMRC has issued helpful guidance that explains when you might be due a tax refund and how to make a claim.
According to HMRC you may be able to claim a refund if you:
- are employed and had too much tax taken from your pay;
- have stopped work;
- sent a tax return and paid too much tax;
- have paid too much tax on pension payments;
- bought a life annuity.
You may also qualify for tax rebates if you have spent money on your job such as fuel costs or work clothing, paid tax on savings interest or if you have income in one country and live in another.
Claims can be backdated for up to four years after the end of the tax year. This means that claims still be made for overpaid interest dating back as far as the 2014-15 tax year which ended on 5 April 2015. The deadline for making claims for the 2014-15 tax year is 5 April 2019.
Making a claim depends on a number of factors. For example, the annual reconciliation of PAYE for the tax year 2017-18 is under way. HMRC use salary and pension information to calculate if the correct amount of tax has been paid. Where the incorrect amount of tax has been paid, HMRC use the P800 form to inform taxpayers. HMRC expects to send all P800 forms by the end of September 2018 for those due a refund. The P800 will tell you how to apply for a refund or how to pay any tax underpaid. For earlier tax years a claim can usually be made online.
Planning note:
It is also possible to make a claim for overpaid tax during the current tax year, if for example you are made redundant or are leaving the UK to live abroad. If you need any assistance in making a claim for overpaid tax, we are here to help.
