Tax Rebate Calculator - Get your FREE estimation

Last reviewed: June 2022

Getting a tax rebate from HMRC is a great way to help pay off some nagging debt, take care of day-to-day expenses or splash out on a treat for the family. Using a tax rebate calculator gives you a quick and easy estimate of how much overpaid tax you may be able to claim back from HMRC. It just takes a minute, and it costs nothing to find out what you’re owed.

How a tax rebate calculator works

It only takes a few quick questions to get the refund calculator working. It doesn’t matter if you’re self-employed or you’re paid PAYE. Just tell us what you do for a living and how much mileage or public transport travel you’re doing for work. That’s basically everything the calculator needs to give you an estimate of your tax refund amount.

You might need to file a Self Assessment tax return to get your refund. If you do, the calculator will let you know. In the rare instance that you actually owe tax to HMRC, the calculator will even give you a heads-up about that, too.

Keep in mind that tax refunds aren’t a prize you can win. This is your money and it belongs on your pocket. Don’t be sad if the calculator says you’re not owed anything. That just means you haven’t overpaid – which is actually the best news you could hope for!

Get your tax rebate estimate today

Tax Year You're Claiming For *

23/24 22/23 21/22 20/21

Gross Income (£) *

Tax Paid (£) *

Other Business Expenses (£)

How to use your tax rebate estimate

Once you’ve got a rough idea of what you could claim back, speak to a trusted tax refund agent who can start your claim.

Usually, a few more details will be required to make sure you get everything back that you're entitled to. Once you get the final amount your agent will deal with HMRC for you until you've been paid your cash.

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How long does a tax rebate take?

HMRC usually takes around 8-10 weeks to sort out a refund claim, so it’s best to get yours moving as soon as possible. The earlier you get your details to us, the quicker your tax rebate will arrive.

If you’ve missed out before on tax refund claims, it might not be too late. There’s a 4-year limit on getting back what HMRC owes you, and the tax year ticks over on the 6th of April. Once those 4-years are up, anything you’re still owed goes back in the taxman’s pocket forever.
What's my PAYE take-home pay?
The Pay As You Earn (PAYE) system takes cash out of your earnings before you get them. That cash covers Income Tax and National Insurance Contributions, along with things like pension contributions and Student Loan repayments. How much you actually get to take home depends on those amounts and the Personal Allowance you qualify for.

Almost everyone in the UK gets a Personal Allowance automatically. This is the amount of money you can earn before the taxman can touch it. The Personal Allowance for the 2022/23 tax year, for example, is £12,570. Anything you earn below that is tax-free.

Once you’ve burned through your Personal Allowance, you move into the basic rate band for Income Tax. If you earn enough in a year, you might see some of your income being taxed at the higher rate. Here’s how those bands look in 2022/23:

On top of that, you’ve got National Insurance to pay. This money’s used for things like keeping your State Pension eligibility. For most people in the UK, the 2021/22 National Insurance they’re paying looks like this:
- Earnings under £9,500 a year: 0%
- Earnings between £9,500 and£50,000 a year: 12%
- Anything over £50,000 a year: 2%
Is my tax calculation just based on the money I earn?
There are lots of things that can factor into the amount of tax you pay. Examples include:
- Married Couples Allowance, for married couples where one spouse was born before the 6th of April 1935. Couples born after would use Marriage Allowance instead, where one spouse transfers part of their Personal Allowance to the other. This can be useful if either of you isn’t getting the full benefit of your Personal Allowance.
- Registered blind people can get a boost to the tax-free portion of their income, on top of their normal Personal Allowance.
The tax you owe can also be affected by the rate of NICs you’re paying, any Student Loan repayments you’re making and whether you’re doing any work overseas. Working for a non-UK employer abroad, for instance, can mean your tax is different from someone who works full-time in the UK.

Two other big factors affecting your tax are your tax code and your Personal Allowance. HMRC uses your tax code to work out your entire tax calculation, and to take any special circumstances affecting you into account. That includes the Personal Allowance you qualify for, so it’s really important to make sure your tax code’s correct.

Another thing that can affect your tax calculation is any “salary sacrifices” you’re making in exchange for benefits from your employer. You also need to keep an eye on any pension plan contributions you’ve made. Both of these can change the amount of tax you owe.

The big thing that the taxman can’t always consider is any tax allowances or deductions you’re eligible for. Basically, HMRC won’t automatically have all the information it needs to get your tax calculations right. When you’re reaching into your own pocket for certain types of essential work travel, for instance, the cash you’re spending can qualify you for tax relief.

If you’re self-employed and working under the Construction Industry Scheme (CIS), there are some extra rules about the tax you pay. The main thing to understand is that you’re losing 20% of your pay directly to the taxman before you even get it. This can be a real problem sometimes, because it could mean you end up not getting the benefit of your Personal Allowance. Since you’re self-employed, you’re also paying different kinds of National Insurance.
Can I claim work mileage on top of a tax rebate?

When it comes to claiming tax rebates, one of the biggest reasons people overpay is their work travel.

HMRC has set out some Approved Mileage Allowance Payments (AMAP) for when you use public transport or your own vehicle to travel to temporary workplaces and back. Unless you‘re getting reimbursed at least as much as the AMAP rates, you’re still owed money.