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A tax rebate (or tax refund) is money HMRC owes you back if you've paid too much tax. For example, if you’re paying for essential work travel or other expenses, you can claim back the tax you paid on those costs as a rebate, whether your work in Construction, the Armed Forces, Security or Offshore. RIFT takes the hassle, stress and guesswork out of your tax rebate claims. We prepare your claim for you, get it on HMRC’s desk and chase it up until it’s paid in full.
Tax rebates aren’t complicated to understand, but they take expertise to prepare and claim. When you’ve paid too much tax in a year, you can claim some back. However, you need to be able to prove that you’re owed some cash back, and that’s what trips so many people up.
If you work “on the books” as an employee, the PAYE system is supposed to take care of your tax automatically. However, there are still a lot of people paying too much through PAYE, leaving many thousands of people wondering, “Am I due some tax back?”
There are lots of reasons why you might have paid too much tax. Every year, about £300 million in unpaid tax refunds is going to waste – and RIFT is aiming to get that cash back where it belongs.
Remember, a tax refund is your legal right any time you’ve forked over too much money to HMRC. It’s yours to claim back, and with the friendly experts at RIFT preparing your claim there’s no reason at all to miss out.
Knowing that you’re owed a tax rebate is only half the battle. After all, the taxman can’t refund you if he doesn’t know what you’re due. When RIFT prepares your refund claim, we track down every piece of information to prove what you’re spending to do your job, from your work mileage travel costs to your food and accommodation expense when you’re on the road for work. That’s why the very best way to kick off your claim is to talk to RIFT. It takes just minutes and a few quick details to get started.
There are lots of reasons why you might be owed a tax rebate from HMRC, and it can be difficult to know exactly where you stand. It all comes down to proving what you’re owed, which is a real challenge if you’re not a tax expert.
Work expenses like travel costs, uniform laundry or professional subscription fees can all mean you can claim a tax rebate – but they’re just the start of it. For instance, you might still be owed some tax back if:
When you make a mileage tax refund claim for travel to temporary workplaces, HMRC will want to see details of the places you've worked, and what it cost you to get there. Every piece of evidence you can gather about your work expenses will make getting your tax rebate easier.
The best thing to do is keep up-to-date records throughout the year. Your MyRIFT account makes this simple, by helping you track your mileage and spending as they happen. You can upload everything to your account right from your phone. You can even grab photos of receipts and send them directly to us with MyRIFT. Once your claim’s in progress, you can track it and update any details you need to instantly.
Remember, the taxman will never try to cheat you. All HMRC wants is the tax you owe—and not one penny more. However, they need to see evidence of your expenses so they know how much tax to refund you. That’s why getting an estimate with our tax rebate calculator is the best possible start for your claim.
If you don't have a P800 tax calculation from HMRC, you'll need to make a tax rebate claim to get your money. There are three main ways to get it back:
''DIY'' refund claims can be difficult if you don't know your way around HMRC's rules. At the very least, you probably won't come close to getting back everything you're owed.
Even traditional accountants tend not to have the specialised expertise and industry knowledge to make a really good tax rebate claim for you. When you have RIFT in your corner, you'll always know you're in safe hands.
We'll put your claim together and fight for it until it's paid, with no headaches or hassle for you.
We'll guide you through all the records you'll need and explain exactly what to expect from your refund. RIFT is always up-to-date with the latest HMRC rules and regulations to ensure that you never miss out.
Here's how you do it:
When you’re reaching into your own pocket for the essential costs of your work, you can claim back the tax portion of your expenses in a yearly tax rebate claim. Examples of these kinds of expenses include:
Try RIFT’s tax rebate calculator to see if you’re owed a refund, and to and find out how RIFT can help prepare your claim for you.
HMRC won’t just refund your cash without asking a few questions. This is where RIFT’s expertise comes in. We’ll help chase up all the paperwork you need, including:
You can learn more about what documents you need here, or talk to RIFT and we’ll guide you through it all. We’ll also help you with other tricky details that can trip you up, like setting up a free Personal Tax Account at HMRC if you don’t already have one.
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Since 1999, RIFT has put literally hundreds of millions of pounds in tax rebates back into the pockets of our customers across the UK. We can even help prepare and claim your rebate if you’ve been made redundant or stopped work part-way through a tax year. We always keep you updated on the progress of your claim, and the RIFT Refunds App means you can get all the information you need on the go.
RIFT keeps everything simple and stress-free, preparing your tax rebate claim, getting it submitted and guiding the whole process until you’ve got your money. There are no hidden charges with RIFT, and year-round aftercare is included. Our commitment and expertise mean we’re the first and only tax company ever to be awarded the ICS Service Mark for outstanding customer service.
The heart of RIFT is our friendly and close-knit team. We’re the UK’s leading tax experts, and we love helping our customers get back what they’re owed. Our decades of success come from the amazing teams we’ve built, and our yearly assessment from the ICS (Institute of Customer Services) shows we’re one of the best places to work in the country.
We have 7 teams of dedicated tax refund specialists ready to handle every step of your tax rebate claim. When you start your claim with RIFT, your personal manager will work with you to prepare all the paperwork and get it submitted to HMRC. Your manager will be available all year round to answer questions and keep you posted about your claim’s progress. They’ll also make sure you don’t get tripped up by any tricky rules or important deadlines.
At RIFT, we take our position as the UK’s leading tax experts very seriously. We will never take any risks with the details and information you give us, and always take every precaution to ensure its security. Furthermore, we’ll never use your information in any way that you haven’t agreed to, and will never share it in any way the law doesn’t specifically allow.
We work hard all year round to make sure you have the best possible experience with us. But don't just take our word for it, visit our YouTube channel to hear what our customers have to say.
The important thing to realise about rebates is that it’s the tax portion of your expenses that you’re claiming back. For most people, that means 20% of what you’re paying out to do your job. Higher rate taxpayers, however, might get more because they’re paying more tax to begin with. Other things that might affect your tax rebate include:
An average 4-year tax rebate claim from RIFT is around £3,000 (typically, customers will pay 36% in fees, exclusions apply). Try our online tax rebate calculator to see how much you could be owed.
You can claim your tax rebate for up to 4 years, even if you’ve changed jobs, become self-employed or even stopped working altogether in the meantime. If you’re worried about getting all the information from previous years, we’ll talk to your old employers and track down the crucial details. We can even help if your old company or workplaces no longer exist.
The wheels at HMRC can turn slowly sometimes, but your tax rebate pay-out should usually come within 8-10 weeks. With RIFT preparing and handling your claim, we'll keep the whole process moving as smoothly as possible – and the sooner you get started, the sooner you’ll have your money.
Yes - absolutely! If you've paid too much tax, you're fully entitled to a tax rebate and our tax refund calculator will estimate what it could be. Of course, HMRC isn't always going to fork it over just because you ask for it. You have to prove you're owed the money, which puts far too many people off claiming back their own cash from the taxman.
Travel and mileage tax refunds for travel to temporary workplaces are claimed under Income Tax (Earnings and Pensions) Act 2003, sections 336-339
The unique RIFT Guarantee means you'll never have to worry about the taxman reclaiming any of your tax rebate. So long as you give us full, accurate information for your claim, if HMRC disagrees with your pay-out and demands some back, we'll pay it from our pocket instead of yours. It won't cost you a penny!
The first thing to do to find out if you’re owed a tax rebate is to check our online tax rebate calculator. It’s so easy to end up overpaying your tax, whether you’re self-employed or working PAYE for an employer. With RIFT preparing and handling your claim, you’ll always know your rebate’s in expert hands.
Just 4 simple questions will get you started claiming back what HMRC owes you. If you need to use the Self Assessment system to make your claim, we’ll handle that too at no extra charge. It’s all part of the RIFT service.
If you get a P800 tax calculation from HMRC, you might not even have to make a tax rebate claim to get the money you’re owed. Your P800 will tell you how much tax they think you should have paid. If you’re owed any back they’ll arrange a refund for you. If you haven’t paid enough, they’ll explain how to settle up. They might change your tax code, for instance.
The problem is, HMRC won’t always automatically know when you’ve paid too much tax. If you stop working part-way through a tax year, for instance, the PAYE system will probably have taken too much tax out of your monthly pay. Also, being on the wrong tax code can cause all kinds of tax trouble, which HMRC won’t necessarily know about. That means that you won’t get a P800, and you’ll have make a tax rebate claim to get back what you’re owed. As always, RIFT will sort everything out for you. We’ve got a great relationship with HMRC, and can take care of all the messy details. If you’re owed some tax back, we’ll get that for you as well.
One of the main reasons why HMRC won’t send you a P800 is if you’ve got work expenses they don’t know about. This is the kind of thing that leaves thousands of people losing out to the taxman each year. If you’re not claiming the tax rebates your work expenses earn you, get in touch with RIFT for expert help preparing and handling your claim.
HMRC likes to keep a check on the tax you’re paying, whether you’re employed or drawing a pension. When a mistake jumps out at them, they’ll generally let you know about it in a P800 tax calculation and start straightening things out. There’s nothing too scary about a P800 form. It’s just HMRC’s way of telling you how much they think you should have paid, which could be more or less than you actually did. If you’re owed money, they’ll refund it. If you owe some extra tax, they’ll explain how to pay up.
The thing is, HMRC won’t always have the information they need to get your tax right. They can keep track of what you’re earning, but won’t automatically know how many miles you’re travelling for work, for example. This is why you have to keep a good record of your necessary work expenses – which is one of the main things RIFT can help you with.
When you get a P800, it’s important to check it thoroughly and make sure you understand what HMRC’s saying. If the taxman’s calculations match your own, there’s no problem. If you owe a little money (typically £3,000 or less), the taxman will claw it back from you over the next year. Any more than that and they’ll talk you through how to settle up. Obviously, if your P800 says you’re owed tax back, you can get the wheels rolling on reclaiming it.
If you’re registered for Self Assessment tax returns, you won’t usually be seeing any P800s from HMRC. Self Assessment has its own way of handling mistakes. Once the error has been tracked down, you'll have your tax bill amended automatically. You’ll be able to check what’s changed by logging into your account on HMRC’s site.
It can take several weeks for HMRC to send you a tax refund, once they’ve realised that you’re owed the money. If you’re making your claim through RIFT, we’ll get your rebate to you however you prefer, either by bank transfer or a cheque. If you're owed a tax refund, you'll usually get a cheque within a few weeks. You can also use the RIFT Tax Refunds app to track the progress of your claim so you always know what's happening.
Mistakes in a P800 can mean you end up paying too much or too little tax. If you spot something wrong in yours, or simply don’t understand it, it’s a good idea to get in touch with HMRC as quickly as possible. Don’t put it off until you forget and don’t assume it’ll “all work out” if you just keep quiet. Getting a refund you weren’t expecting is a nice surprise, but if you weren’t really owed the money then the taxman won’t be happy when he catches up with you. Fixing a mistake might mean sitting on a helpline queue for a while, but you really can’t afford to ignore the problem. Obviously, if you’re with RIFT we’ll handle all this for you. We don’t do hidden charges at RIFT, so this kind of thing is all part of our service.
Help your mates get their yearly tax refunds and get extra cash for your own pocket!
At RIFT, we love it when happy customers tell their friends about us. In fact, we love it so much that we actually give you cash rewards and free prize draw entries for doing it!
We'll give you £100 for every friend you refer (T&Cs apply) who claims with us, plus an extra £150 bonus on top when 5 people make their RIFT tax refund claims.
Simply tell us about your friend using our Refer a Friend form and we’ll get in touch to let them know you think they might have a claim.
If you're self-employed or travel to temporary workplaces, there are several ways you might be paying too much tax. Often, it's as simple as not getting the most out of your expenses. You might also have other conditions or rules affecting your tax, like if you're employed via the Construction Industry Scheme.
Another reason you might be owed a tax refund is if you've recently changed jobs, or only worked for part of the year. Situations like this can mean you've got the wrong tax code, or get issued an emergency tax code. If you've got more than one job, you might end up not getting the full benefit of your tax-free personal allowance. All of these circumstances can be fixed, meaning you get money back from the taxman.
Sometimes, the mistake might even be yours. It's easy to get things wrong on a self assessment tax return, for example. You might also forget to tell HMRC when your income from investments or renting out property drops.
The first thing to do is get in touch with HMRC. In fact, do this the moment you realise there's a problem. Don't put it off or expect that it'll all work out on its own. In particular, don't assume it's okay to keep quiet and hold onto the money. The taxman doesn't like to be cheated.
On the other hand, if your refund looks a little on the low side, then make some noise about that too! There are time limits on getting some kinds of claim processed, so it's worth getting the wheels turning early.
If you have specialised clothing you need to wear for work, you can claim a uniform tax rebate for its upkeep or replacement. We’re talking about anything from a sweater with a company logo right through to a full uniform. If it’s necessary for your work, it could count toward your tax rebate.
If you don’t mind a little legwork, you can keep receipts whenever you pay to clean or repair your work clothing. If that sounds like too much paperwork, HMRC’s simplified Fixed Rate Expenses system might be the answer. Basically, the taxman has set specific rebate amounts based on the cost of keeping your work clothes in good condition. Rather than collecting receipts and crunching numbers throughout the year, you can use HMRC's figures instead.
Your food and accommodation bills when you’re travelling for work can definitely count toward your tax refund claim. We’re not talking chicken-feed here, either. A typical food tax rebate could easily be worth £250-£500 a year!
Obviously, “travelling for work” doesn’t include a regular commute to a permanent office. You still have to be travelling to temporary workplaces for your food expenses to qualify for a tax rebate on your expenses.
It’s more than just the tenner you’re spending at lunch that counts, though. Everything from your first cup of tea on-site to the afternoon snack you grabbed in your break can earn you some tax back. Keep hold of those receipts, cash machine mini-statements—or even just photos of the menu board. Any information you can give to HMRC will help to prove exactly what you’re owed.
When you’re claiming a tax rebate for the upkeep or replacement of essential tools or equipment, there are a few points to keep in mind. Firstly, you can’t claim anything when you first buy things like these. Only replacement or repair costs will earn you a tax rebate. Another point to keep in mind is that your “essential tools” will vary with the work you do. For instance:
To qualify as an expense, you need to be meeting costs like these from your own pocket. If you’re getting anything toward them from your employer, it’ll affect the amount you can claim back from HMRC. If you’re being fully reimbursed, naturally enough, you won’t be able to claim for them at all.
Yes! Tax rebates aren’t just for “on the books” employees. When you're self-employed, many of the essential day to day costs of doing business can bring down the tax you owe on your profits. RIFT can handle all of this when we take care of your Self-Assessment tax return paperwork.
Construction workers on the Construction Industry Scheme (CIS), for instance, are losing a big slice of their pay to HMRC before they get it. This leaves many of them not getting the best out of their tax-free Personal Allowance. When that happens, though, they can still get back what they’re owed with a tax rebate claim.
Not everyone qualifies for a tax rebate – but that’s actually not necessarily a bad thing. If you aren’t owed any tax back, it just means you haven’t overpaid in the first place. Maybe your employer’s already covering all your work travel costs, for example.
Another good example is people who don’t travel to temporary workplaces, so can’t make an HMRC mileage claim. Others are self-employed, and handle any rebates they’re owed for their work expenses through the Self Assessment tax return system instead.
If you’re not sure whether or not you qualify for a tax rebate, get in touch with RIFT. A few quick questions will quickly sort out where you stand. If you’re owed anything back, we’ll prepare your claim and make sure it’s paid out.
It depends on the situation. You can't claim if you're moving onto things like Jobseeker's Allowance or ESA. Also, if you're out of work for under four weeks, any rebate you're due will come through your new employer instead. It's best to get advice if you're not sure where you stand, to contact RIFT Rebates for a quick answer.
If you don’t fancy the idea of hoarding all those receipts and invoices, there’s a simpler way to get tax relief on your work expenses. HMRC’s "flat rate deductions" system sets out fixed amounts you can claim without keeping precise records. The rebate amounts depend on the work you do but, obviously enough, not every possible kind of job has its own flat rate deduction worked out. Even so, if HMRC hasn’t settled on a specific figure for yours, you might still be able to get a standard £60 deduction.
Claiming flat rate deductions can be simpler than making a full tax rebate claim, but you almost certainly won’t get back everything you’re owed this way. Talk to RIFT to see what your best option is, and how we can help.
It really doesn’t take a huge pile of paperwork to claim a tax rebate, but a few basic details are pretty much essential. Details of what you’ve earned and how much tax you’ve paid are obvious examples, so the best place to start is with your payslips.
Payslips can actually contain a lot of useful information for claiming a tax rebate, including tricky details like maternity and sick pay. They should also show whether your employer’s reimbursed you for any of your work expenses, which can make a major difference to your refund amount. Here's how to read your payslip.
We’ve made it as simple as possible to get your details to us, through your free MyRIFT account. You can upload copies of your payslips – or simply take a photograph of them and upload that instead. If you prefer to use the post, we even have a Freepost address you can use.
When you get your P60 form at the end of the tax year, you’ll see your total earnings and tax on it. Feel free to send us this instead of payslips if that’s easier.
If you've already set up your Personal Tax Account on the HMRC website, you'll be able to get a lot of the information you need there.
Even without a lot of information to work with, there’s plenty RIFT can do to help prepare your tax rebate claim paperwork. We can talk directly to HMRC for you, and grab a lot of the most important details from them. When we do that, they’ll usually send the information straight to you, so you’ll need pass it on to us. You can do that either digitally or by Freepost.
With certain kinds of information, we can get what we need straight from HMRC over the phone. You’ll still need to be on the call with us, though, for your security.
''Can I claim for travel expenses in my taxes?'' is one of the top questions we’re asked at RIFT – and the answer is yes, as long as you stay within the HMRC rules.
Travelling to temporary workplaces (generally meaning places where you work for under 24 months) costs money. If you’re spending that cash yourself and you’re paid PAYE, you could be owed a tax rebate. In fact, you may still be owed tax back even if your employer pays you something for your mileage. HMRC has set a standard Approved Mileage Allowance Payments (AMAP) rate for work travel. If you’re not getting the full amount from your employer, you can claim back the difference from HMRC.
Again, it really doesn’t matter what kind of work you do. RIFT has made tax refund claims for everyone from the military, construction sales staff, mechanics and carpenters to forensic analysts, professional sportspeople and even deep sea divers! Many of our customers work in fields like childcare, retail, cleaning and teaching, so there really is no reason to miss out.
Your work travel isn’t the only thing that can qualify you for a tax refund, of course. You might be due a uniform tax rebate for cleaning your work clothes or a food tax refund for buying lunch. What’s more, since you can claim back what you’re owed for the last 4-years, we can even make tax refund claims for jobs you’ve already left or firms than no longer exist!
As the UK’s leading tax experts, RIFT will always make sure you’re getting back everything you’re owed. Both our tax refund calculator and mileage calculator take under a minute to use, and can give you an instant idea how much you could claim.
When you’re on the road for work, travelling to temporary workplaces, there’s a good chance you’re owed a tax rebate for your costs. This is something that so many people miss out on and never even realise it. However you’re travelling, the tax refund system can put some serious cash back in your wallet each year. The same goes for the food you buy, any accommodation you pay for and a whole range of other necessary costs you’re reaching into your own pocket for.
Of course, there’s always a catch when you’re tackling the taxman. When you’re claiming a refund from HMRC, you need to understand what a “temporary workplace” is. In general, “temporary” just means that you’re working there for under 2 years. You can’t claim back anything for a regular commute to a permanent office, for instance. The rules have a few tricky wrinkles in them, though, so it’s always best to talk to RIFT to make sure you stay in the taxman’s good books.
Use the RIFT mileage claim calculator to get an instant estimate of how much your travel tax refund could be worth.
Our Track My Claim tool is an ideal way to keep an eye on the progress of your refund. It’s simple to use and lays out all the information you need in one place. With the Track My Claim function, you can send us essential details to speed up your refund even more, and keep your finger on the pulse from your first enquiry to your final pay-out.
Once your claim’s rolling, it’s like using a tracking number on a parcel. You’ll get a notification whenever your claim reaches another milestone in its progress, and any time you need to do anything to speed things along, MyRIFT will let you know.
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