Overview
- HMRC says refunds are not issued automatically and must be requested via a personal tax account on GOV.UK or through the HMRC app.
- Overpayments commonly stem from incorrect tax codes, job changes or retirement details that were not updated with HMRC.
- The department has logged more than 135,000 scam reports recently, including about 29,000 involving fake refund offers.
- Chief security officer Lucy Pike urged vigilance and asked the public to report suspicious contacts directly to HMRC.
- Genuine refund communications arrive through HMRC's secure system or by post, and the agency will not ask for bank details in unsolicited messages.