HMRC owes me a Self Assessment refund — how do I actually get the money and how long does it take?

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HMRC owes me a Self Assessment refund — how do I actually get the money and how long does it take?

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My accountant says I'm due a refund on my Self Assessment for last year — I overpaid quite a bit on my January payment on account. First time this has happened to me, so I'm not sure of the process.

How do I actually get the money back — do I request it through my online tax account, or does HMRC send it automatically once they've processed everything? And how long does it usually take to land in the bank? I'm hoping to use the money to replace my aging laptop, so I'd love to know what sort of wait to expect.

Tagshmrc self assessment tax refund

Answer 1

DDasiy Smith

Good news — you don't have to wait for HMRC to send the money automatically; you request the repayment yourself. Sign in to your Personal Tax Account (or your HMRC online Self Assessment account), open your Self Assessment statement, and use the "Request repayment" option — you'll need your bank sort code and account number. HMRC's own reply-time checker estimates around 2 weeks to respond to an online repayment claim, but it warns that security checks can cause delays and that it may need up to a further 12 weeks after that to actually issue the payment. While it's being processed, the amount often still shows as "available credit" in your account, which is normal. One important warning: HMRC never sends texts or emails with links asking for your bank details to release a refund — those are scams, so only ever claim through your own HMRC account or by calling HMRC directly.

HMRC owes me a Self Assessment refund — how do I actually get the money and how long does it take?

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