Tax Refund Calculator, 2026/27
Employees who were on the wrong tax code, started a job partway through the year, or had a gap in employment often overpay tax through PAYE. This calculator estimates the refund due once the full year's figures are known.
The tax refund calculator runs on the rates and thresholds HMRC has published for the 2026/27 tax year, so the figures you see reflect the position your company is actually filing on rather than a historic set of bands. Change any input and the result recalculates immediately, with no sign-up and nothing sent anywhere.
If you are a director of a UK limited company, use it as a first look before a decision rather than as the decision itself. Assumes all income for the year is employment income taxed through PAYE, with no dividends, self-employment or benefits in kind to complicate the reconciliation. Real company positions bring in other income, reliefs, group structures and prior year adjustments that a single page of inputs cannot see, which is why the workings are written out below under personal & self assessment tax. Read those, then check the numbers against your own accounts, and speak to us if anything looks materially different from what you expected.
Last reviewed 12 September 2026 for the 2026/27 tax year. Reviewed by Waqas Sagar, Member of ICAEW, Fellow of ACCA, Fellow of AAT.
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Result, 2026/27
Estimated refund due
Correct tax due for the year
Tax already paid through PAYE
Personal allowance used
Illustration only, figures are based on the rates you have selected and the information entered. Please check your own position with us before acting.
Estimates for the 2026/27 tax year using published GOV.UK rates. Switch between 2026/27 and 2025/26 above.
How this is calculated
This calculator compares the tax that should be due on your total income for the year, using the standard 2026/27 personal allowance and tax bands, against what has actually been deducted through PAYE. A positive difference suggests a refund; a negative one suggests more tax is owed.
PAYE is designed to spread tax evenly across the year assuming steady income and a correct tax code, so it copes badly with mid-year changes: starting a job in month six, having gaps between jobs, an emergency tax code being applied on a new job, or working only part of the year all commonly cause an overpayment that only becomes visible once the whole year is added up.
This is a general purpose refund estimate. For the more specific case of two jobs at once, use the second job tax calculator, and for a fuller HMRC-style reconciliation including benefits in kind, use the P800 checker on this site.
Common causes of overpaid PAYE tax
An emergency tax code, often shown as 'W1', 'M1' or '0T', taxes each pay period in isolation without applying the cumulative personal allowance, which usually results in too much being deducted until HMRC corrects the code. Redundancy, career breaks, and starting self-employment partway through the year after a period of employment are other frequent triggers.
Uniform costs, professional subscriptions and certain travel expenses can also create a refund if never claimed, though these are additional reliefs on top of any code-related overpayment rather than PAYE errors themselves.
How to actually claim a refund
If you complete self-assessment, any overpayment is settled automatically as part of your return. If not, HMRC usually identifies the overpayment itself after the tax year ends and issues a P800 or makes a payment directly, but you can also contact HMRC proactively rather than waiting.
Keep your P45s and P60s for the year, since these show exactly what was deducted and by whom, which speeds up any manual claim or query with HMRC.
What this means for your company
Treat the result as a planning figure for the 2026/27 tax year. If it changes what you were about to do, take a director's salary, a dividend, a large asset purchase or a filing decision, check it against your own accounts first. We can review the position with you and confirm the tax treatment before you commit.
Frequently asked questions
Why might I have overpaid tax through PAYE?
Common causes include an emergency tax code, starting a job partway through the tax year, having a gap in employment, or holding more than one job where the personal allowance was not split correctly.
How do I claim a tax refund?
If you file self-assessment, it is settled through your return automatically. Otherwise HMRC usually issues a P800 after the tax year ends, though you can also contact HMRC directly if you believe you have overpaid.
How long does a PAYE refund take?
Refunds identified through a P800 are often paid within a few weeks once processed, though timing varies with HMRC workloads, particularly in the months after the tax year ends.
Can I claim a refund for previous tax years?
Yes, HMRC generally allows claims going back up to four tax years, so it is worth checking older P60s or P45s if you suspect an overpayment was never corrected.
Keep going
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