08 July 2026
HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) are sending out 4 million tax calculation letters, which are also known as P800s, to individuals telling them whether they have over–or-under paid their tax liabilities.
This can impact people who are employed and paid via PAYE, the self-employed, and those receiving pension payments. There are a number of reasons why this might happen, an employee may simply be put on the wrong tax code, found a new job whilst still employed by another, and have been paid by both employers in the same month, received Employment and Support Allowance or Jobseeker's Allowance or started to receive a pension at work.
If the tax calculation letter says you are due a tax refund, you must claim for this (the letter will tell you how to do this), the refund will not be sent to you automatically.
To claim online, you will need the reference number on your P800 letter plus your National Insurance (NI) number. You may also claim through your Personal Tax Account or on the HMRC App, if you have a UK bank account. Alternatively, you can contact HMRC directly, here.
In some circumstances HMRC will send a tax calculation letter to notify you that you will receive your tax refund via cheque. This will be sent automatically, and so there is no need to try to contact HMRC to make a claim.
By claiming online, you should receive your refund within 5 working days.
A reminder to all to please be vigilant and watch out for scammers and fraudsters who regularly try to impersonate HMRC. Please check out our news article which gives you the resources to check whether a communication is genuine. Remember that though HMRC may text you to remind you to make a tax refund claim online, they will never ask you to make a payment or ask for personal details. Stay safe out there everyone!
Information provided in this news article may be subject to change. Please make note of the date of publication to ensure that you are viewing up to date information.
