Check if you're owed a tax refund

Estimate your PAYE income tax overpayment for the last four tax years, using the published rates for the year and country you lived in.

How it works

1. 1

   Enter your details

   Pick the tax year and where you lived, then add your gross income and the tax you actually paid. Both figures are on your P60, or your final payslip for that year.

2. 2

   We apply that year's published rates

   Each tax year has its own allowances and bands, and Scotland has different ones again. The estimate uses the rates published for the exact year and country you chose, not this year's.

3. 3

   You get a figure and the workings

   The result shows every step: your allowance, your taxable income, and the tax charged in each band. If the sum looks wrong, you can see exactly where it came from.

What counts as a work expense

This is the field most people leave at zero, and it is often the one that changes the answer. You can usually claim tax relief on things you pay for yourself, that you need to do your job, and that your employer does not reimburse:

• Uniforms, protective clothing and tools, including a flat-rate allowance for washing a uniform yourself.
• Professional fees and subscriptions to approved bodies, and union fees where they qualify.
• Business mileage in your own vehicle, not commuting but travel to temporary workplaces.
• Working from home, where your job requires it rather than you choosing to.

If your employer already paid you back for something, it is not claimable. Relief reduces the income you are taxed on. It does not refund the cost itself.

What this doesn't include

An estimate is only useful if you know what it leaves out. This calculator coversincome tax paid through PAYE and nothing else.

• National Insurance and student loan repaymentsare not included. Neither is refunded through an income tax overpayment claim, so adding them would inflate the figure beyond what HMRC would actually repay.
• It assumes one PAYE employment and no untaxed income: no self-employment, rental income, dividends or savings interest above the allowances.
• It uses whole-year figures. If you changed jobs, had gaps, or were on an emergency tax code for part of the year, treat the result as a rough indication.

This is an estimate, not a formal calculation, and not tax advice. HMRC's own figure is the one that counts. You can check your income tax for previous years directly.

How to actually claim

A number on a screen is not a refund. If the estimate suggests you have overpaid, here is where each part of it is actually claimed:

• Work expenses: claim tax relief for your job expenses, using form P87 or online. This is free; you do not need an agent.
• Marriage Allowance: apply through HMRC. The partner with the lower income makes the transfer, and it can be backdated.
• Anything else: an overpayment from a wrong tax code is usually corrected automatically; see tax overpayments and underpayments. If you need to file, use Self Assessment.

You have four years. A claim must reach HMRC within four years of the end of the tax year it relates to, so the oldest year in the list above is the one to deal with first.

Frequently asked questions