How do I know if I've overpaid tax?

Check your tax code in the HMRC app or your personal tax account, compare your P60 with what you expected to pay, and look for reliefs you haven't claimed: higher-rate pension relief, Gift Aid, work expenses, and days worked abroad if you moved to the UK recently.

Does HMRC refund overpaid tax automatically?

Sometimes. If you're only taxed through PAYE, HMRC checks after the tax year and may send a P800 calculation and refund. Reliefs that need a claim, such as Overseas Workday Relief or higher-rate pension relief, won't be refunded unless you claim them.

How far back can I claim a tax refund?

Usually four years from the end of the tax year. For example, the 2022/23 tax year (ending 5 April 2023) can be claimed until 5 April 2027.

How long does an HMRC refund take?

A P800 refund or a claim through your personal tax account often arrives within a few weeks. A refund from a Self Assessment return usually arrives within a few weeks of filing, if HMRC has no questions.

Am I paying too much tax? How to get money back from HMRC

Figures for England, Wales and Northern Ireland, checked against gov.uk on 27 October 2026. General information, not personal advice.

Most people in the UK pay tax through PAYE, so it's taken before they see their pay and they assume it's right. Usually it is. But PAYE only knows what your employer tells it, and some of the biggest reliefs only happen if you ask for them.

Signs you might have overpaid

You started a job, changed jobs or arrived in the UK part-way through a tax year (6 April to 5 April).
Your payslip shows a tax code ending in W1, M1 or X, or the code is BR or 0T.
You pay into a personal pension or give to charity and pay higher-rate tax.
You pay professional fees, or buy things for work that your employer doesn't refund.
You moved to the UK in the last few years and have worked some days outside the UK.

How to check in ten minutes

Open the HMRC app or your personal tax account on gov.uk and look at your tax code and the estimate for this year.
Find your P60 (your employer gives you one after each tax year) and check the tax paid against the code you should have been on.
Run through the reasons below and note any that apply.

The most common reasons people overpay

An emergency tax code. New starters and new arrivals are often put on a temporary code that ignores some or all of the tax-free allowance. It usually corrects itself, but not always for the whole year.

Higher-rate relief on pension contributions. If you pay into a personal pension (not through salary sacrifice), the provider adds 20%. The extra 20% or 25% for higher and additional rate taxpayers has to be claimed. Many people never do.

Gift Aid. Higher-rate taxpayers can claim back the difference between basic and higher rate on donations: £25 for every £100 given.

Work costs and professional fees. Approved professional subscriptions and unreimbursed work costs qualify. Working from home counts only if your employer requires it.

Days worked abroad, if you're new to the UK. If you hadn't lived in the UK for the ten years before you moved here, the pay for days you worked outside the UK in your first four tax years may not be taxable here. Your employer will almost always have taxed it in full, so the only way to get it back is a Self Assessment claim. It's worth it only when your days abroad outweigh the personal allowance you give up by claiming.

Worked any days outside the UK since you moved here?

If you moved to the UK in the last few years and travel for work, or work from home while visiting family, part of your pay may not be taxable in the UK. The free check tells you in two minutes whether it's worth claiming.

Do the free check

How to claim it back

Tax code errors: update your details in your personal tax account, or wait for HMRC's P800 after the year ends.
Work expenses and professional fees: claim online on gov.uk if you don't otherwise file a tax return.
Pension relief, Gift Aid, days abroad: through a Self Assessment return. If you need one, register by 5 October after the tax year ends; the online return is due by 31 January.

How far back you can go

Usually four years from the end of the tax year. Right now that means back to the 2022/23 tax year, until 5 April 2027. If you think a past year is affected, it's worth acting before the earliest year drops off. See also how to pay less tax in London for this year.