If you have paid too much tax to HMRC, you may be able to claim a tax refund. Overpayments can happen for several reasons, such as a change in employment, being placed on the wrong tax code or failing to claim certain allowances or expenses.

The way you claim depends on your circumstances such as whether or not you complete a self-assessment tax return and how long ago the overpayment occurred.

HMRC states that you may be eligible for a refund if you have overpaid tax on:

• Income from employment
• Job-related expenses (for example, working from home, fuel, uniforms or tools)
• A pension
• A self-assessment tax return
• A redundancy payment
• UK income while living abroad
• Interest from savings or Payment Protection Insurance (PPI) payouts
• Income from a life or pension annuity
• Foreign income
• UK income earned before leaving the UK

HMRC offers an online service at www.gov.uk/claim-tax-refund/y that allows you to check whether you are eligible and, in many cases, submit a claim.

In most situations, you can backdate a claim up to four years from the end of the relevant tax year. This means you can still claim a refund for the 2021–22 tax year (which ended on 5 April 2022) until 5 April 2026.