Tax Guide for Students
Students often take on full or part-time jobs while pursuing their degrees, yet many remain uncertain about their tax obligations.
For a few different reasons students can pay too much tax and don’t realise that they might qualify for a student tax refund if they’ve overpaid – potentially losing out on hundreds of pounds!
The tax system isn’t perfect and tax refunds are not always repaid automatically by HMRC which means you should review your own tax position to make sure you receive what you are owed back.
While many younger students typically don’t earn enough to pay tax some (often more mature students) can earn enough to have a tax bill.
For these students some tax reliefs can be available to help reduce what is owed but you need to make a claim to receive your entitlement.
In our free student tax guide we lay out the basics so that you know when and how much tax you should paying and the ways to claim a student tax rebate back from HMRC if you have overpaid.
Paying Income Tax as a Student
Although you are exempt from some financial burdens while you’re a student, like council tax, you do have to pay income tax on your earnings through PAYE.
The problems of over-paying arise largely because of your earning patterns as a student.
Things that confuse income tax payments:
- Working full time during university/college holiday periods, then only part time or not at all during the rest of the year.
- Having more than one part time job simultaneously.
- Working in another country for part of the year, usually summer holiday time.
Does any of this sound like you? Don’t waste any of your hard earned money by leaving it sat in the Treasury’s coffers.
It’s your responsibility to make sure that you are paying the correct amount of tax and HMRC have set up a system for reclaiming overpayments that they expect you to use.
Am I due a student tax rebate?
There are two main reasons for students to have overpaid income tax and be due a rebate:
- Being ‘emergency taxed’.
When you start a new job, you usually give your new employer a P45 form. This contains your tax code information and tells an employer what rate of income tax should be applied to your wages.
If you don’t have a P45, then you will be taxed at the ‘emergency’ rate until your actual tax code can be established. This applies even if you are only working part time hours and definitely means that you are paying too much tax on your income.
- Not earning over your tax free Personal Allowance
Everyone in the UK is entitled to earn up to a certain amount before they have to pay any income tax at all. This is called your tax free Personal Allowance which is given to all PAYE taxpayers.
For example in the 2024/25 tax year, you can earn up to £12,570 before you pay any income tax at all. Many young students don’t earn more than this in any one tax year.
But, if you have worked full time hours during a couple of months in the summer, HMRC may assume that this will be your continued earnings for the rest of the financial year and tax you accordingly.
What is a ‘tax year’?
The UK’s financial year or tax year runs from 6th April to 5th April the following year. It’s different to the normal callender year which is vital to know to avoid missing tax year deadlines.
How much tax does a student pay on income over the personal allowance?
Your rate of income tax depends on how much you earn; either 20%, 40% or 45% of your total taxable income.
The tax bands which set the amount of income for each rate change annually.
In general it is unlikely that you would ever earn enough to pay any more than 20% tax as a student. The income taxable rates in Scotland are different.
Do you pay income tax on all earnings?
No, not all income is taxable. For example, grants, bursaries and most scholarships are tax free. So is any interest you make on savings in an ISA account.
Do I pay tax on savings as a student?
If you’re lucky enough to be starting student life with savings, you need to know that the interest you earn is classed as taxable income.
So, you will need to add it into your calculation when you’re working out if you’ve earned the Personal Allowance amount.
Many savings account providers automatically deduct 20% tax from your account, so you need to rectify this if it shouldn’t apply to you.
International students and UK tax
If you are an international student your UK tax position can become more complex. You need to take into consideration the double taxation treaty between the UK and your country of nationality and the type of studies you are undertaking in the UK.
The fact that you could leave the UK during a tax year can mean you can be owed a repayment of income tax for the year in which you leave the UK.
Students leaving the UK tax refund
If you decide to go travelling and have worked in the tax year you leave the UK a refund of tax is likely. You have four tax years to reclaim what you have overpaid and you need to let the tax office know when you left the UK along with some other information relating to you leaving.
Lots of countries have Double Taxation Treaties with the UK, which means that you only pay income tax in one of the countries. Some people have to pay it in both the UK and the other country, because such a treaty doesn’t exist.
The rules for your income will vary depending on where you are going. It may be that you continue to pay income tax in the UK, instead of the country you are working in. Or, you don’t pay British tax, but pay the other country’s version of income tax while you are working there.
How do I claim a student tax refund?
Now that most local Tax Offices have been closed and HMRC are aiming to make tax digital, your first port of call is HMRC’s online information.
Tax rebate for employed students:
If you are employed, then you pay tax monthly through the PAYE (Pay As You Earn) system.
This will be shown on your payslip. HMRC do an annual reconciliation check and send you a copy of this on a form called a P800.
If they see that you are owed tax, instructions will be included on how to reclaim it which is usually online or via a cheqe through the post.
Tax rebate for self employed students:
If you are self employed, then you pay tax through the self assessment tax return system. You can claim any tax overpayments at the same time, on the same form.
Claim your student tax refund using your personal tax account
This is the best place to start if you want to check if you are currently owed a tax refund or want to claim one back that you already know about.
If you haven’t already opened up an HMRC personal tax account now would be a good time to do it.
It allows you to gain access to your personal income tax details through a dedicated HMRC portal and will become something you can use for the remainder of your income tax life.
I want to claim my tax back, but I don’t work at the job any more
It doesn’t matter if you no longer work at the job you earned the income from. You just need your P45 parts 2 and 3, to send with your P50.
You keep should keep Part 1 for your records. Your ex-employer is legally obliged to give you a P45 when you leave.
Student tax relief for expenses of employment
Students who earn enough to pay income tax can claim back tax relief on the cost of some work related expenses usually through the completion of HMRC form P87 either by post or online.
Claiming back what you can reduces your tax bill and can result in a backdated rebate from previous tax years.
Examples of what you can claim for include uniform washing, business mileage and professional fees.
You can find out more about what tax relief you can claim for in our guide to work related expenses for PAYE taxpayers.
Does my tax rebate get paid by my employer?
In some cases you can be repaid an in year tax refund paid through your salary by your employer.
For previous tax years your overpayment is sitting in HMRC’s bank account and that is where your rebate will be paid from.
As part of the PAYE system, your employer is involved in the administration of our tax system, as your income tax is deducted before you get your pay.
But they won’t be contacted about any tax rebate claim and are certainly not held accountable for any tax rebate payment.
I’ve already graduated, is it too late for me to do anything about a student income tax rebate?
Good news – no, it’s not too late because the rules allow for an income tax rebate to be backdated for the last four tax years.
Disabled students allowance (DSA)
The disabled students allowance (DSA) offers assistance to qualifying individuals to help manage the educational expenses arising from mental health issues, chronic illnesses, or other disabilities.
The kind and amount of assistance you receive are determined by your specific requirements, rather than your household earnings and can be provided independently or alongside any other student funding you receive.
You can find out more in the on GOV.UK which gives you an overview of what DSA is, it’s eligibilty criteria and step by step instructions on how to apply for the support.
Tax Rebate Services Money
Tax is only one part of your finances where you can save money. Tax Rebate Services Money is worth using to find out if there are any other areas of your financial life that can be improved.
It’s completely free to use and is packed full of guides and calculators about credit cards, mortgages, personal loans, savings and much more.
