Claiming a tax rebate? There’s an app for that! A real, HMRC app that you can use to claim a tax rebate back from HMRC.
The option to claim a refund of tax through an app was launched by HMRC in 2022 and the app allows you to manage other parts of your tax affairs as well.
Is the HMRC app free?
Yes, it’s free, so you don’t have to buy it at all. You just download it from Google Play Store for android devices, or the App Store for Apple devices. You can put it onto any smartphone or tablet. And it’s completely secure.
After its downloaded, you need your Government Gateway user ID and password to sign into your account.
But you only need to do this the first time. After that, you sign in with a 6-digit PIN, facial recognition or your fingerprint depending on your device.
How do I claim a tax rebate on the HMRC app?
After you’ve signed in, you go to the Pay As You Earn (PAYE) section. Then click on the ‘Summary of Income Tax’ box. This shows you how much you’ve earned in this tax year. You can navigate back to previous tax years, too.
If you’re due a tax rebate, you’ll see a button saying ‘Claim your refund’. Just click it and follow the on screen instructions.
For claiming a tax rebate due to employment expenses (worth under £2500 in any one tax year) a claim should be made by signing in to your government gateway and completing the P87 online or by post.
A P800 will be posted to you from HMRC after your claim for employment expenses has been processed and if you have overpaid tax you can reclaim it through your HMRC app.
Why should I use the HMRC app to claim my tax refund?
Using the app is a much quicker way to submit your tax refund application to HMRC than doing it by post. And less paper is just more environmentally aware.
Even better news it means your rebate goes straight into your bank account (if you want it to) which speeds up the time it takes to get your money back.
In a time where personal information is often targeted by criminals the HMRC app should also bring a safer way to communicate with HMRC.
What else can I use the HMRC app for?
The app can be used to find a number of useful reference numbers and figures relating to your own personal tax affairs.
You can see a lot of your own information when you access the HMRC app, like:
- Income and benefits.
- Tax code.
- National Insurance number.
- Estimate of tax you owe: PAYE and self assessment.
- Unique Taxpayer Reference (UTR) number.
- Tax credits amount and when you’ll get them.
This is just really handy for lot’s of different situations. Two common examples are where you need to remind yourself of your national insurance number or want to check your tax code.
Using the HMRC app to manage other areas of tax
HMRC make available options to manage a variety of administrative tasks. All of this can save you time by not needing to call or write to HMRC.
Some of the most popular options include:
- Report Tax Credits changes and complete renewals.
- Make self assessment payment.
- Update postal address and other personal information.
- Go into your Help to Save account.
- Track any communications you’ve sent to HMRC.
There’s also a free tax calculator in the app. This helps you work out how much you’ll have left in your wallet after income tax and national insurance contribution deductions.
The services provided by HMRC in their free app are helpful and usable for a variety of tax related issues. It’s certainly worth having to help save time and effort when you need to update information or retrieve facts and figures.
