UK taxpayers have been warned to check communications from HMRC and ensure they’re not missing out on a tax rebate. In a post on X, the UK tax authority wrote: “Remember getting a letter about a tax refund but didn’t do anything about it? Last year, almost 700,000 people didn’t claim back the money they’re owed.”
The department called on taxpayers to download the HMRC app to check. The Government’s own figures suggest that on average, people get £473 when claiming a refund. Tax is usually deducted automatically from wages and pensions, though in some cases you may need to submit a Self Assessment tax return.
If you’ve overpaid, HMRC may notify you to claim the funds or transfer them automatically depending on the circumstances. However, if the error may be based on information HMRC doesn’t have, like changes to your expenses that HMRC hasn’t been made aware of, you may need to flag it yourself.
There are various reasons why you may have overpaid, with one of the most common being that you’ve been assigned the wrong tax code by HMRC in error, and are being over or under taxed as a result.
This can occur for a few reasons, including if you’ve recently changed jobs, the benefits you get at work have changed, or you’ve started receiving pensions, according to chartered accountants and tax advisors Julian Hobbs & Co.
Claims must be submitted four years from the end of the relevant tax year. You can find out more about rebates and how to claim on the GOV.UK website.
The app is by far the quickest way to get a rebate if you’ve paid too much tax, North Wales Live reports.
You can also use the app to check your: