UK Tax Refund Checker
Left a UK job part-way through the tax year? You've probably overpaid. Find out roughly how much — and exactly how to claim it back.
Leave UK employment part-way through the tax year and PAYE has usually over-taxed you, because your full £12,570 Personal Allowance (2026/27) was spread across a year you didn't finish working. This free checker estimates whether you're owed a refund and roughly how much, then shows the route to claim it via P85 or Self Assessment. An estimate, not a guarantee (HMRC PAYE94025; gov.uk Income Tax rates; 2026/27).
Are you owed overpaid PAYE?
PAYE only releases a slice of your allowance while you work. Leave early and the rest is unused — and reclaimable. The checker shows the mechanics; your figure depends on your pay and leaving date.
Are you owed a UK tax refund?
Leave a UK job part-way through the tax year and PAYE has usually over-taxed you — your full £12,570 allowance was spread across a year you didn't finish. Answer a few questions; we'll estimate it on screen and show how to claim.
- No email required to see your estimate
- Every figure linked to its HMRC source
- Runs in your browser — nothing stored, no upsell
Three worked scenarios
Each is an illustrative example — your figure depends on your facts. We never guarantee an amount.
£42,000, left end of July (month 4)
Gross UK pay to leaving £14,000. Allowance PAYE released by month 4: 4/12 × £12,570 = £4,190. Tax estimated deducted: (£14,000 − £4,190) × 20% = £1,962. Tax actually due (full £12,570 against £14,000): (£14,000 − £12,570) × 20% = £286.
Estimated refund ≈ £1,676£60,000, left end of September (month 6)
Gross UK pay to leaving £30,000. Allowance released by month 6: 6/12 × £12,570 = £6,285. Tax estimated deducted: (£30,000 − £6,285) = £23,715 × 20% = £4,743. Tax actually due (full allowance): (£30,000 − £12,570) = £17,430 × 20% = £3,486.
Estimated refund ≈ £1,257Left in month 11, already earned above the year's tax
Someone who works almost the whole year before leaving has had nearly all their allowance released by PAYE, so there's little or no over-deduction from leaving mid-year. The checker still shows the route to tell HMRC. The refund comes from the unused allowance — leave late and there's little unused.
Unlikely to be a refund from this causeIllustrative — your figure depends on your facts. We never guarantee an amount. (2026/27; HMRC PAYE94025; gov.uk Income Tax rates; rest-of-UK rates.)
How does the UK tax refund checker work?
Direct answer: The checker applies one piece of HMRC mechanics in plain numbers: PAYE spreads your Personal Allowance evenly across the tax year, so leaving early leaves part of it unused — and that unused allowance is your refund. You tell it your gross UK pay to the date you left and which tax month you left; it estimates the tax PAYE took versus the tax actually due once your full £12,570 allowance (2026/27) is set against your lower part-year earnings. The gap is the estimated refund (HMRC PAYE94025; gov.uk Income Tax rates; 2026/27).
It is a first-pass compass, not a sign-off. It runs entirely in your browser, stores nothing, and never promises a figure — your real number turns on your exact pay, dates, tax code and how HMRC reconciles your year.
Why do you overpay UK tax when you leave mid-year?
Direct answer: You overpay because PAYE runs on a cumulative basis: each tax month your employer hands you one-twelfth of your £12,570 Personal Allowance and taxes the rest. Stop working part-way through the year and the payroll has only released a slice of that allowance — yet, with no further UK earnings, you're entitled to the whole of it against what you earned. The unused remainder is what comes back. HMRC's PAYE manual says it directly:
The key 2026/27 figures behind the estimate, dated and sourced:
| Figure | 2026/27 value | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Personal Allowance | £12,570 | Frozen to 5 April 2028 | gov.uk, Income Tax rates; frozen-thresholds publication |
| Basic rate | 20% (taxable income up to £37,700) | Threshold frozen to 5 April 2028 | gov.uk, Income Tax rates |
| Higher rate | 40% (income over £50,270) | Threshold frozen to 5 April 2028 | gov.uk, Income Tax rates |
| Additional rate | 45% (income over £125,140) | — | gov.uk, Income Tax rates |
Am I owed a tax refund for leaving the UK?
Direct answer: Often, yes — if you left UK employment part-way through the tax year and were on PAYE. The earlier in the year you left and the lower your total UK pay, the larger the unused slice of your £12,570 allowance, and so the larger the likely refund. The checker estimates it for your figures. But there's no automatic cheque: you have to claim it, and the amount depends entirely on your own pay, dates and tax code. We never guarantee a refund (HMRC PAYE94025; gov.uk P85 guidance; 2026/27).
You're less likely to be owed a mid-year refund from this cause if you worked almost the whole tax year before leaving (most of your allowance was already given), if your UK pay this year was below £12,570 (no tax was due to refund), or if you claimed taxable Jobseeker's Allowance or ESA after leaving (which uses up allowance against those benefits).
How do I claim the refund once the checker shows one?
Direct answer: By one of two routes — and the fork is route, not paper versus online:
- Not in Self Assessment → form P85. It tells HMRC you've left and claims the refund in one. Online or by post are equivalent; the only hard rule is that if you haven't left the UK yet you must print and post. Send Parts 2 and 3 of your P45 (keep Part 1A).
- In Self Assessment → the SA109 residence pages, no P85. You report leaving on your tax return; the refund falls out when it's processed. The SA109 can't use HMRC's free online service — file on paper (by 31 October) or with commercial software / an agent (by 31 January).
How long does the refund take, and how is it paid?
Direct answer: HMRC doesn't publish a fixed turnaround — check its live "check when you can expect a reply" tool, and you'll get a reference to track the claim. Refunds are paid by payable order within the UK; HMRC won't transfer money abroad or cover currency costs. So keep a UK bank account, or nominate a trusted UK person or address, until the money lands. And remember it's pay-then-reclaim: the tax has already been taken, and the repayment lags. We don't quote a hard timescale (gov.uk P85 guidance; "Check when you can expect a reply from HMRC"; 2026/27).
Is this checker tax advice?
Direct answer: No. Quit UK Tax is an educational resource, not a regulated tax, legal or financial adviser. The checker gives a rough, general estimate from published HMRC rules; it doesn't assess your circumstances, speak for HMRC, or guarantee any amount. Your real figure depends on your full facts and HMRC's reconciliation. For your own situation, and for anything complex, consult a qualified adviser and use the official HMRC route.
Common questions
Will I get a tax refund when I leave the UK?
Often, if you leave employment part-way through the tax year. PAYE spreads your £12,570 personal allowance evenly across the year, so leaving early means too much was withheld against your lower full-year earnings. You reclaim the difference via P85 (or the Self Assessment return if you file one). No refund is guaranteed — it depends on your figures. (HMRC PAYE94025; gov.uk P85; 2026/27.)
How much tax can I get back when I leave the UK mid-year?
It depends on your earnings and when you leave. Worked example (2026/27, illustrative): leave a £42,000 salary after 4 months — PAYE deducted about £1,962, but only £286 is actually due once your full £12,570 allowance applies, so the refund is about £1,676. We never guarantee a figure; yours depends on your facts. (HMRC PAYE94025; gov.uk Income Tax rates; 2026/27.)
How long does a P85 tax refund take and how is it paid?
HMRC doesn't publish a fixed turnaround — check its “when to expect a reply” tool and you'll get a reference to track the claim. Refunds are paid by payable order within the UK; HMRC won't transfer abroad or cover currency costs. Keep a UK bank account or nominate a UK person/address until it lands. We don't quote a hard timescale. (gov.uk P85 guidance; “Check when you can expect a reply from HMRC”; 2026/27.)
What is an NT tax code and how does it stop UK tax deductions?
NT (“No Tax”) is the code HMRC issues to your UK employer when your earnings become non-UK-taxable — for example, working full-time abroad. It stops Income Tax deductions, and because it runs cumulatively, applying it mid-year refunds tax already deducted that year through payroll. NT does not switch off National Insurance. (HMRC PAYE81670; PAYE11010; 2026/27.)
Do I need to file a P85 when I leave the UK?
Only if you are not filing a Self Assessment return for the year you leave. If you don't usually do Self Assessment, use form P85 (online or by post) to tell HMRC you've left and claim any refund. If you do file Self Assessment for the departure year, you report leaving on the return via the SA109 instead — no P85. (gov.uk P85 guidance; “Tax if you leave the UK”; 2026/27.)
Are your tools free, and do they store my data?
Yes, free — no gate, no paywall, no upsell on the core. The calculators run entirely in your browser as React islands; no personal data is stored. The only network call is the optional “email me my result” form, which posts to our shared forms service. (Last reviewed: May 2026.)