If you’re looking to claim your tax back from HMRC, you’ll need to ensure you have the relevant documents in order before you begin the process. This is what you need to sort out before you can claim back your hard-earned cash.

Girl with a net catching money

You’re going to need these documents

P60 tax form

The very first thing you’ll need to do is get your hands on your P60 tax form. This is also known as an “End of Year Certificate”. Your P60 contains a summary of your pay and tax details for the tax year, which runs from 5 April to 6 April the following year.

Your employer should give you your P60 by 31 May, either electronically or on paper. You need this form to claim back any overpaid tax and complete your Self Assessment tax return.

If your employer hasn’t already given you a copy of your P60, request that they send it to you as soon as possible. Not only do you need it to claim back your tax, but it serves as a proof of income should you want to apply for a loan or mortgage.

P45 tax form

If you worked for an employer for only a portion of the tax year, you will receive a P45 instead of a P60 form. This form indicates how much tax has been paid by you during the relevant tax year. It should be given to you on your final day of employment. This form can also be used when claiming your tax refund.

If you have misplaced your P60 or P45, you can contact a tax agent to track down the forms on your behalf.

Find out exactly how much you’re owed

Once you have your P60, you can start the process of claiming back your overpaid tax. The next step is to figure out exactly how much you’re owed. You can do this manually the difficult way, or you can simply use an online tax refunds calculator, which will generate the approximate amount that is due to you.

Consult a tax agent

The admin involved in claiming your tax refund can be a hassle. Don’t let this stop you from getting your money back. If you’d rather skip the paperwork, a tax refunds agent  can sort all of it out for you. This is the best way to ensure that you get your full tax refund as quickly as possible.

Over the past 15 years, we’ve processed over 200,000 successful claims. To find out if you’re eligible for a refund, use our tax refund calculator, or if you know you’re due a refund, complete our online tax refund claim form.

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