How long does a tax rebate take

In this article, we’ve answered all of your pressing questions on HMRC’s tax refund process.

Summary

• How long a tax rebate takes depends on a few factors. Some are out of your control. The answer is difficult to put into words, but it’s essentially all in the documentation and timing.
• How to get a quick tax rebate. It depends on HMRC’s current workload, but we’ve included a few tips and tricks, such as picking the correct time that suits the tax office!
• Everything you need to hire a specialised tax advisor. TaxBite accountants are experts in HMRC’s self-assessment system, processing self-assessment tax returns for many clients. We’ve helped crowds of people claim back their overpaid tax as a result.
• How to pay tax and file an online tax return – and process a tax rebate claim online. Worried? Hire an expert! Our chartered accountants can help process your tax bill each year, and spot any possible rebates quickly.

How long do I need to wait for my tax return? Processing timeframes for tax refunds

It’s difficult to determine the exact time it takes to receive a UK tax refund. Because of HMRC’s current processing times, there is a longer delay between applying for tax rebate claims and receiving the tax refund.

Typically, you can expect to receive your tax refund within a projected length of time around 8-12 weeks, this is once they’ve received your tax refund claim.

To get a tax refund and ensure no mistakes are made that may delay your HMRC tax refund for a bit longer, contact the team at TaxBite for help with a tax rebate application.

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How to get a quick tax rebate?

While the time it takes to get a tax refund is down to HMRC, and commonly between 8-12 weeks, there are a few ways you might be able to speed up the repayment of your overpaid tax.

First things first, if you’re owed money by HMRC, you need to make sure you’ve collated all of the required documents. This reduces the chance of being contacted by HMRC for further information.

Another tip is to sync up your tax refund claim with HMRC’s quiet period. Avoid submitting a tax refund claim around January 31st and July 31st, which are HMRC’s busiest periods, when the self-assessment tax return deadline and tax credit renewals deadline dates are.

Tax refunds under a certain amount, such as £1,000, are typically handled quite quickly by HMRC, while larger sums require further verification and therefore are susceptible to more substantial delays.

How long does it take to receive a tax rebate?

After authorisation, the duration for an HMRC repayment to be made is pretty quick, actually. It does depend on certain criteria, though. There are a few different ways HMRC pays your refund, which can impact the time it takes to pay and receive tax bill rebate payments.

• If HMRC have paid directly into a bank account, debit card or credit card, you can expect to receive the rebate claim money within 5 working days.
• If you’re waiting on a “payable order” (i.e. a cheque), you can expect the payable order rebate money within 5 weeks.
• If you’ve received a P800 to say you are due a tax rebate, and you can claim your refund online, this will be refunded to you with immediate effect. If you do not claim online within 45 days, you’ll be refunded automatically via a cheque within 60 days from the date outlined on the P800.
• You may receive a P800 outlining that you’ll receive a cheque. If this is the case, HMRC aims for you to receive it within 14 days of the P800 notification.

You can engage a tax advisor

If you think you’re owed a tax refund or you’re just curious, engaging the services of a specialist tax advisor can help you understand if you’re eligible for a refund and make a claim.

Our team of chartered accountants are here and ready to process your tax relief claim and rebate request with HMRC. We know the HMRC claim process like the back of our hands. It’s worth noting that when you process a tax relief or refund claim, your tax return will be significantly expedited. This means HMRC will find it easier to process.

How to do a tax refund online

If this is your first time filing a tax return, you need to create an online account with HMRC. Following this, you’ll receive an activation number from HMRC. However, this could take up to 10 working days.

During this process, you’ll be assigned a Unique Taxpayer Reference (UTR) and a user ID.

Starting out can be confusing, so if you find yourself struggling, contact the team at TaxBite for help with getting set up for tax with HMRC. We can process your self-assessment tax return and process a tax refund claim on your behalf if you’ve paid too much tax. If HMRC may owe you money, we want to help you get it back!

Do you get an emergency tax back in the UK?

Yes, as a UK taxpayer, you can claim any emergency tax back if your tax code has changed to an emergency tax code within the fiscal year. Any overpaid tax is typically refunded within this tax year, also.

If you think you’re owed an emergency tax refund, contact us for help filing a paper tax return or rebate claim. This could be the case if you’ve been placed on an emergency tax code by an employer because your correct tax code was unavailable for any reason. Tax code information can be found on your payslip.

Emergency tax codes are a “placeholder” for HMRC until they’ve provided your employer with your correct tax code. Sometimes this is the case if you’ve recently changed jobs, you’ve previously been self-employed, you’ve claimed certain work expenses, or you have more than one job. However, it is not limited to this; sometimes, receiving pension payments within a payable tax year affects your tax code.

Can you speed up a tax rebate?

As mentioned earlier in this article, there are a few tips and tricks that may very well speed up a HMRC rebate claim. It comes down to providing the relevant information in as much detail as possible. Hiring a professional accountant is a surefire way to ensure you’re covered.

Ways to speed up your tax rebate claim

Ensuring all the relevant paperwork and information is collected and provided to HMRC is your best bet and a speedy tax refund claim.

By also avoiding HMRC’s busiest periods, such as January and July, you could also speed up your tax refund claim.

And by the same token, smaller claims are usually processed quickly. Especially when compared with larger refunds which require extra admin by HMRC. But this aspect isn’t something you can change, per se.

Get Started

Getting started with the TaxBite team couldn’t be easier. Just click the link below, and one of our experts will be in touch. We want to take the stress out of your tax rebate claim, and we know the process in and out.

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We can also help with all of your general accounting needs, such as your self-assessment tax return, income tax, setting up your government gateway account, tax credit claims, understanding your emergency tax code, and processing other complicated claims.

Reach out to us to work with a specialist tax advisor to help with your taxes today, whatever your current income level. We can answer all of your tax-related questions, such as ‘how long does a tax rebate take?’, ‘how do I find out if I’ve paid too much tax?’, ‘Am I owed a tax rebate by HMRC? How much?’, and ‘how do people overpay tax?’.

Why TaxBite Accountants

Tax rebate claims can be an arduous process, and if you’ve paid too much (also known as a tax overpayment), you’ll certainly want to know about it and process your tax refund correctly. Our accountants are specialist tax advisors, and we’re on hand to ensure your tax refund is processed properly.

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If any of your questions remain unanswered, contact the TaxBite team for specialist advice directly for your business. Alternatively, if you believe you may owe HMRC money we can also help you identify and pay, and answer any other HMRC enquiries you may have.