HMRC sends 4 million tax letters from today with £473 warning | Personal Finance | Finance
Households will be sent letters from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) from today, June 1, with instant action required in some cases. The Government body is sending out roughly 4 million income tax refund letters between June 1 and August 31. Those receiving them are being warned they “must respond” if additional information is requested, or otherwise risk losing out. Almost one million people are losing an average of £473 purely because they haven’t replied to their letter, according to HMRC.
HMRC tax refunds occur when individuals pay too much income tax, usually because of an erroneous tax code, a job change, or working multiple positions at once. HMRC typically works out any overpayment after the tax year concludes and sends a P800 letter as appropriate. Making a claim online through your Personal Tax Account or the HMRC app is the fastest approach, with payments normally processed within 5 working days, while cheques can take up to 6 weeks to be delivered.
Officials said: “Remember getting a letter about a tax refund but didn’t do anything about it? Last year, almost 1 million people didn’t claim back the money they’re owed. On average, people get £473 back when claiming a tax refund. Download the HMRC app to check.”
To make a claim online, use your Personal Tax Account or the HMRC app, which is the fastest option. Refund payments are usually processed within five working days, compared with cheques, which can take up to six weeks to arrive. While HMRC often issues refunds automatically through a P800 letter, some taxpayers need to submit a claim themselves.
This typically applies to people claiming employment-related expenses, such as home working costs or specialist equipment, as well as those with more complex tax affairs. Claims can generally be made for up to four previous tax years through the HMRC app or by completing the relevant form on GOV.UK.
HMRC has issued warnings regarding fraudulent correspondence also in circulation concerning this matter.
It stated: “You may get a letter from HMRC asking you to contact us about your repayment claim. We may ask you to send more information to verify your claim.
“You must respond to the letter so we can make any repayments owed to you as soon as possible. If you receive further requests for information to be sent to an email address that does not end in ‘hmrc.gov.uk’, they will not be genuine and you should report this to HMRC.”
