Estimate your UK tax refund if you have overpaid income tax through PAYE, work expenses, or a mid-year job change.
This calculator provides estimates for guidance only. It does not constitute financial or tax advice. Always verify with HMRC or a qualified tax adviser. Actual refund amounts depend on your full tax circumstances.
Every year, millions of UK taxpayers overpay income tax without realising it. Common reasons include being placed on an emergency tax code after changing jobs, not claiming allowable work expenses, or earning less than expected in a tax year. HMRC estimates that around GBP 1.2 billion in overpaid tax goes unclaimed each year. This tax refund calculator helps you estimate whether you are owed a refund by comparing the tax you actually paid (via PAYE) with the correct amount based on your earnings and allowable deductions. It covers England, Wales, and Scotland tax bands for the 2026-27 tax year, and includes HMRC-approved flat-rate expense deductions for uniforms, tools, and working from home.
To estimate your potential tax refund: 1. Enter your total gross earnings for the tax year. You can find this on your P60 (issued by your employer after 5 April) or by adding up your gross pay from payslips. 2. Enter the total income tax deducted from your pay. This is shown on your P60 or the cumulative tax figure on your final payslip of the year. 3. Select your tax region. Choose "Scotland" if you are a Scottish taxpayer, or "England & Wales" for the rest of the UK. 4. If you have work-related expenses, expand the advanced options. Select a flat-rate allowance (uniform washing, tools, or working from home) and add any additional allowable expenses such as professional subscriptions. 5. If you worked only part of the tax year, set the months worked in advanced options. This helps illustrate your situation but the key inputs are your actual earnings and tax paid. 6. View your results. A positive refund figure means you may be owed money back from HMRC. A negative figure means you may have underpaid tax.
The calculator works by computing the correct income tax on your earnings and comparing it with what you actually paid. First, any allowable work expenses are deducted from your gross earnings to give your adjusted taxable income. HMRC permits flat-rate deductions for certain expenses: GBP 60 for uniform washing, GBP 120 for tools and equipment, and GBP 312 for working from home (GBP 6/week). Professional subscriptions and other approved expenses can also be claimed. Next, income tax is calculated on the adjusted income using the progressive band system. For England and Wales, the Personal Allowance is GBP 12,570 (0% tax), followed by the basic rate (20%) up to GBP 50,270, higher rate (40%) up to GBP 125,140, and additional rate (45%) above that. Scotland uses its own six-band system with different rates. The estimated refund is simply the difference: tax paid minus correct tax. If positive, you have overpaid and may be owed a refund. If negative, you may owe HMRC additional tax.
This calculator uses 2026-27 tax year rates and thresholds. It does not account for National Insurance, pension contributions, or student loan repayments, which are separate deductions. For a complete picture of your take-home pay, use the Salary Calculator alongside this tool. To claim a refund, contact HMRC via your Personal Tax Account at gov.uk, by phone, or by post.