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The honest answer is that it depends on which refund you are waiting for and how you asked for it. If HMRC has sent you a P800 letter and you claim online, the money reaches your bank within 5 working days. Almost every other refund goes into a queue, and the queues move at very different speeds. On 17 October 2026, HMRC was working on PAYE refund claims it received on 21 September 2026, and on National Insurance refund requests sent by post it was working on ones received on 25 July 2025.
Those dates are not estimates from a forum thread. They come from HMRC itself, and this page reads them fresh every day.
HMRC refund times today, by refund route
This is HMRC's own published position. "Working on claims received" is the date of the claims HMRC says it is dealing with now. "Send today, reply by" is HMRC's estimate for a claim sent today.
PAYE and Income Tax
Refund of tax paid on a job or pension
Online or post
- HMRC is on claims from
- 21 September 2026
- 4 weeks behind
- Send today, reply by
- 7 November 2026
- 3 weeks
Job expenses refund (P87)
Online
- HMRC is on claims from
- 21 September 2026
- 4 weeks behind
- Send today, reply by
- 7 November 2026
- 3 weeks
Job expenses refund (P87)
By post
- HMRC is on claims from
- 20 September 2026
- 4 weeks behind
- Send today, reply by
- 7 November 2026
- 3 weeks
Emergency tax on a pension withdrawal (P55, P50Z, P53Z)
Online
- HMRC is on claims from
- 21 September 2026
- 4 weeks behind
- Send today, reply by
- 7 November 2026
- 3 weeks
Self Assessment
Self Assessment refund
Online
- HMRC is on claims from
- Not published
- Send today, reply by
- 31 October 2026
- 2 weeks, then up to 12 more weeks to pay
Self Assessment refund
By post
- HMRC is on claims from
- Not published
- Send today, reply by
- 26 March 2027
- 5 months, then up to 12 more weeks to pay
CIS
CIS subcontractor refund
Any method
- HMRC is on claims from
- 21 September 2026
- 4 weeks behind
- Send today, reply by
- 7 November 2026
- 3 weeks
National Insurance
National Insurance refund
Online
- HMRC is on claims from
- 21 September 2026
- 4 weeks behind
- Send today, reply by
- 7 November 2026
- 3 weeks
National Insurance refund
By post
- HMRC is on claims from
- 25 July 2025
- 15 months behind
- Send today, reply by
- 4 January 2028
- 15 months
The gaps between rows are the whole story. Two people owed the same refund can wait a few weeks or more than a year, depending on whether they claimed online or by post.
How long HMRC says a reply takes, by refund route
- Refund of tax paid on a job or pension (online or post)3 weeks
- Job expenses refund (P87) (online)3 weeks
- Job expenses refund (P87) (by post)3 weeks
- Emergency tax on a pension withdrawal (P55, P50Z, P53Z) (online)3 weeks
- Self Assessment refund (online)2 weeks
- Self Assessment refund (by post)5 months
- CIS subcontractor refund (any method)3 weeks
- National Insurance refund (online)3 weeks
- National Insurance refund (by post)15 months
Why we track HMRC's refund queue every day
I am Solomon, and I founded TapTax. When I rewrote this guide, I went looking for a reliable answer to "how long is HMRC taking right now?" and found two kinds of source. One was HMRC's official timings, which only cover a couple of routes. The other was a sea of forum posts, each one a single person's experience at a single moment.
HMRC does publish the real figure. Its check when you can expect a reply from HMRC tool tells you, route by route, which claims it is processing and when a new one will be answered. The catch is that it only ever shows today, and it takes five clicks per route to find out.
So we built the HMRC refund tracker. Every morning it asks HMRC's tool the same questions a member of the public would, for every refund route and every way of claiming, and keeps the answers. Over time that becomes something nobody else has: a record of whether HMRC is catching up or falling behind. Everything on this page comes from it, and the figures update on their own.
P800 refunds: the fastest route of all
A P800 is HMRC's end-of-year tax calculation for people taxed through PAYE. After the tax year ends on 5 April, HMRC compares the tax your employer or pension provider took with the tax it thinks was due. If you paid too much, the letter says so and tells you how to get the money.
- P800 tax calculation
A letter HMRC sends after the tax year ends when its records show you paid too much or too little Income Tax through PAYE. According to GOV.UK, the letters go out between June and March of the following tax year. People registered for Self Assessment do not get one: their return settles any difference instead.
GOV.UK sets out three timings, depending on what your letter says:
| What your P800 says | What you do | When the money arrives |
|---|---|---|
| You can claim online | Claim by bank transfer | Within 5 working days |
| You can claim online | Ask for a cheque instead | Within 6 weeks |
| HMRC will send you a cheque | Nothing: the cheque comes automatically | Within 14 days of the date on the letter |
If you are owed money for more than one year, HMRC sends a single cheque for the whole amount rather than one per year.
So the fastest refund HMRC pays is one where the P800 lets you claim online and you choose a bank transfer. The slow part is usually the wait before the letter arrives, because P800s go out any time from June to the following March. If you think you overpaid and nothing has arrived, you do not have to wait for one. You can check your figures in your HMRC online account and claim directly, which puts you in the PAYE refund queue in the table above.
Refunds you claim yourself
If there is no P800, you are making a claim, and a claim joins a queue. These are the routes HMRC publishes figures for, and what each one is for.
Tax paid on a job or pension. The general route when you think too much tax came off your wages or pension, for example after a wrong tax code or a job change mid-year. HMRC is currently working on claims received on 21 September 2026, and its reply date for a claim sent today is 7 November 2026.
Job expenses (P87). Uniform washing, professional fees, working from home where your employer requires it, and business mileage your employer did not fully pay. The P87 covers expenses up to £2,500 a year; above that you claim through Self Assessment. A P87 sent today should get a reply in about 3 weeks.
Emergency tax on a pension withdrawal (P55, P50Z, P53Z). Taking a lump sum from a pension often triggers an emergency tax code, which can take far too much. HMRC's reply time on these claims is currently about 3 weeks, and it is working on claims received on 21 September 2026. That backlog is one of the longest on the tracker.
Tax taken off savings or PPI interest (R40). For people who do not file Self Assessment and had tax deducted from interest, including the interest on a PPI payout. A claim sent today should get a reply in about 3 weeks.
Self Assessment refunds. If your return shows you overpaid, you ask for the refund through your online account. HMRC's reply date for an online request sent today is about 2 weeks away, but there is an important extra line in its tool:
“HMRC has security measures in place to protect customers which may cause a delay.”
HMRC adds that it may need up to 12 more weeks after the reply date to issue the repayment, and that the refund can still show as available credit in your account while that happens. If you have a submission reference, HMRC asks you not to request the refund again. By post, the reply date for a Self Assessment refund request is currently about 5 months away.
CIS refunds. Subcontractors in the Construction Industry Scheme often have more deducted than they owe. Most self-employed subcontractors get it back through their Self Assessment return; claims made to HMRC directly are currently answered in about 3 weeks.
National Insurance refunds. For example, if you paid too much Class 1 National Insurance across two jobs. This is where the online and postal queues are furthest apart: about 3 weeks online against about 15 months by post.
Leaving the UK (P85) and Marriage Allowance. A P85 claim and a postal Marriage Allowance claim both currently get a reply in about 3 weeks.
Work out when HMRC should answer yours
Pick what you claimed, how you sent it and the date. The estimator applies HMRC's current figures to your date, using the same rule HMRC's own tool uses, so the answer matches what HMRC would tell you.
Pick a date
Choose the date you sent your claim. It cannot be in the future.
The day you submitted it online or posted it. Today shows what a claim sent now can expect.
Figures come from HMRC's own reply-date tool, captured 17 October 2026. HMRC calls every date an estimate.
Three examples of how this plays out
These are illustrative, not real people, but each is a common situation.
A nurse who changed jobs in October. Her new employer used an emergency code for two months, so she overpaid. In the summer after the tax year ended, a P800 arrived saying she could claim online. She claimed by bank transfer, and the money was in her account within 5 working days. The wait that felt long was the months before the letter, not the claim itself.
A retired engineer who took a lump sum from his pension. His provider applied an emergency code and took far more tax than he owed. He filed a P55 online the same week. His wait is set by the pension flexibility queue, currently about 3 weeks, which is why claiming the day the payslip arrives matters so much.
A self-employed plumber with a Self Assessment overpayment. His payments on account were set from a good year, and the next year was quieter, so his return showed a refund. He requested it online. HMRC's reply date was a few weeks out, and he allowed for the possible 12 extra weeks of checks rather than spending the money in advance. Keeping his records up to date through the year meant he knew the refund was coming before he filed.
Self-employed? See your refund coming before you file
TapTax keeps your income, expenses and tax estimate up to date as you go, so an overpayment shows up months before your return does. Free plan, no card required.
Get started freeWhat actually holds a refund up
The claim is wrong, or HMRC disagrees with it. Many PAYE refunds start with a tax code that was wrong for part of the year. HMRC's end-of-year calculation is only as good as the code and the income figures it holds, so a P800 can be too small as easily as too large. Checking your code first with the free tax code checker, or checking a P800 against every year you can still claim with the P800 refund checker, means your claim starts from the right number. Our guide to how HMRC calculates your tax code shows where the numbers come from.
More than one employer or pension in the year. Each payer deducts tax on its own, but your liability is worked out across the whole year. The more income sources there are, the more there is to reconcile.
Benefits in kind reported late. Company cars and medical cover reach HMRC on your employer's P11D, which is due by 6 July after the tax year. HMRC cannot finalise the year until that information is in.
Security checks. Refunds are a target for fraud. A large repayment, a first repayment to a new bank account or a return that looks unusual against your history can be held for a manual check.
Paper. A posted claim has to be opened, scanned and keyed before anyone can assess it. On HMRC's current figures a postal claim is never faster than an online one, and on several routes it is slower by months.
How to get your refund sooner
- Claim online wherever HMRC allows it, through your HMRC online account or the HMRC app.
- Make sure HMRC has your bank details, so a refund arrives by transfer rather than cheque.
- Send the claim once, complete. A duplicate does not jump the queue; it creates work matching the two.
- Keep your P60s, P45 and payslips to hand, so a request for more information does not stall the claim for weeks.
- Note the date you sent it, and check HMRC's reply date for that day on the refund tracker.
When to chase HMRC, and how
HMRC asks people not to contact it before its reply date, and ringing early usually gets you told to wait. The day after the reply date has passed, you have a reason to chase.
- Check your HMRC online account and the HMRC app first. The refund, or a letter asking for more information, may already be there.
- Check the bank account HMRC holds for you is still open. A refund sent to a closed account goes back to HMRC and has to be reissued.
- Contact HMRC with the date you sent the claim and any reference you were given.
- If you still get nowhere, make a formal complaint. HMRC's current reply time on Income Tax complaints is about 3 weeks, and the tracker shows that queue too.
You do not need a refund company
Search for "tax refund" and you will find firms offering to claim it for you in return for a share. The percentages are significant: RIFT, for example, charges 36% including VAT. Every route on this page can be claimed directly with HMRC for nothing, and a firm cannot make HMRC's queue move any faster for you. If you do use an agent, read the terms carefully and check where the refund will be paid.
How far back you can claim
You can claim a refund for up to four years after the end of the tax year it relates to. That means 2022/23 is the oldest year still open, and its deadline is 5 April 2027. After that it is gone for good, so if you suspect an old overpayment, claim it before you worry about how long the queue is.
People also ask
How long does a tax refund take from HMRC?
A refund on a P800 letter claimed online by bank transfer arrives within 5 working days, according to GOV.UK. Other refunds join a queue: HMRC publishes a reply date for each route, and the TapTax HMRC refund tracker shows the current figures for every one, updated daily.
How long does a P800 refund take?
Within 5 working days if you claim online by bank transfer, within 6 weeks if you ask for a cheque online, and within 14 days of the date on the letter if the P800 says HMRC will send a cheque automatically.
How long does a Self Assessment refund take?
HMRC gives a reply date of a few weeks for a refund requested online, and much longer by post. It also warns that it may need up to 12 more weeks after the reply date to issue the money while security checks run.
How long does a P87 refund take?
HMRC publishes a reply date for P87 claims that changes with its workload. The HMRC refund tracker shows the current figure for claims sent online and by post.
Why is my HMRC refund taking so long?
The most common reasons are a postal claim, a security check on the repayment, missing information, more than one employer or pension in the year, or an employer reporting benefits in kind late. Check your HMRC online account for any letters first, then chase once HMRC's reply date for your claim has passed.
Can I claim a tax refund for previous years?
Yes. You can claim for up to four years after the end of the tax year the refund relates to. The oldest year drops out of reach every 5 April, so claim an old overpayment before that date.
Frequently asked questions
How Long Does It Take for an HMRC Tax Refund to Go Into My Bank Account?
Once HMRC approves your refund, the money typically reaches your bank account within 5 working days if you have set up a Government Gateway account with verified bank details. Refunds sent by cheque take considerably longer, often several weeks, because HMRC must print and post the cheque before your bank can clear it. Logging into your Personal Tax Account and confirming your bank details is the single most effective step you can take to speed up payment.
How Long Does a Tax Refund Take to Process in the UK?
Processing time depends on how HMRC identifies the overpayment: an automated P800 calculation can be issued within weeks of the tax year ending, while a Self Assessment repayment request you submit manually is typically processed within 5 to 10 working days if your return is straightforward and your account is not flagged for a compliance check. More complex cases, or those selected for additional verification, can extend that timeline significantly. HMRC publishes current processing estimates on its website, and these can lengthen considerably during peak periods such as January and February.
How Long Does a P50 Take to Process?
A P50 is the form you use to claim a refund mid-year if you have stopped working and do not expect to return to employment in the same tax year. HMRC aims to process P50 claims within 5 to 10 working days of receiving the completed form, though postal submissions take longer than those made through your Personal Tax Account online. If you are claiming because you have left employment and will not receive any further PAYE income in 2026/27, submitting the P50 online is the fastest route to receiving your money.
Which Refund Processing Time Is Fastest: 15, 30, or 60 Working Days?
Fifteen working days is obviously preferable, but the more useful question is what drives each scenario. Straightforward online Self Assessment repayments or verified P800 claims paid directly to a bank account tend to resolve in roughly 5 to 15 working days. Postal claims, paper returns, or cases that trigger a compliance check from HMRC can stretch to 30 or even 60 working days. Filing digitally, keeping your bank details current in your Personal Tax Account, and ensuring your return is accurate and complete are the practical levers within your control.