Overview
- HMRC started issuing about four million P800 tax-calculation letters from June 1 as part of an automated post–tax-year records review and will continue sending calculations through to March next year.
- The tax service says recipients must reply if a letter asks for more information to secure any repayment and warned that almost one million people did not claim refunds last year, with an average unclaimed amount around £473.
- Claiming through a Personal Tax Account or the HMRC app is the quickest option and usually delivers payments within five working days while cheque payments can take up to six weeks and are being reduced in favour of bank transfers.
- Many refunds are issued automatically but some taxpayers must submit manual claims, for example for employment expenses, and certain claims can be backdated for up to four tax years.
- HMRC is warning of fraudsters using fake refund messages and says legitimate emails will end in 'hmrc.gov.uk', urging people to report suspicious contact and noting the shift to digital payments aims to speed refunds but may disadvantage people without online access.