Tax rebate scams are one of the most common fraud types HMRC tracks, and they keep growing. The pitch is always the same: "You are owed a tax rebate. Click here to claim it." The link is never genuine, and the information it collects is used either to drain a bank account or to sell on.
The good news is that checking a real rebate only takes a few minutes and costs nothing.
HMRC never texts or emails refund offers
This is the single most important rule. HMRC will write to you by letter if you are owed a refund, and you can also see it in your Personal Tax Account. HMRC never texts, WhatsApps, or emails a claim link. Anything that does is fake, no matter how legitimate it looks.
If you receive a suspicious message, forward it to phishing@hmrc.gov.uk and then delete it.
The free way to check
Sign in at gov.uk/personal-tax-account. You can see the current tax year and the previous four, along with any refund or underpayment HMRC has on record. The claim process is built into the page, and the money is paid straight into your bank account.
If you are self-employed, check the overpayment section of your Self Assessment account. Refunds are usually issued within two to three weeks.
Third-party "tax reclaim" companies
These companies are legal but take a large cut of any refund, sometimes more than 40 per cent. They often advertise "no win, no fee" but lock you in to assigning all future HMRC communication to them. That makes it harder to manage your own tax position later.
In most cases you can achieve the same refund yourself, in less time, for free. Only use a paid adviser if your tax affairs are genuinely complex and you want expert advice beyond a standard refund.
How to know if a rebate is genuinely likely
You are most likely to be owed a refund if:
- Your tax code was wrong for part of the year.
- You stopped working before the end of the tax year.
- You made pension contributions as a higher-rate taxpayer outside of payroll.
- You paid tax on savings interest but were within the allowance.
- You wear a uniform for work and never claimed expenses.
Compare your actual payslips and P60 with our salary calculator. If the calculator produces a lower tax figure than your real payslips showed, the gap is usually a refund.
If you have already paid a scam
Contact your bank immediately to try to reverse the payment. Report the fraud to Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 or at actionfraud.police.uk. Change any passwords you shared, and keep an eye on your credit report for unusual activity.
The bottom line
Real tax rebates are always free. If someone is asking for an upfront fee or a large share of the refund, step back and use the Personal Tax Account instead.