Tax checker

Think you've overpaid tax and are due a refund? If your tax situation is straightforward, you can use the checker to find out. It's quick and easy to use and will tell you if you're paying about the right amount of tax.

On this page:

Who can use the tax checker?
When you can't use the tax checker
Information to get together before you start
How to use the tax checker
Your result
More useful links

Who can use the tax checker?

You can use the checker to work out if you may be due a tax refund if all of the following apply:

you're single
you're aged under 65
you're a basic rate (20 per cent) or higher rate (40 per cent) taxpayer
you get the basic Personal Allowance of £6,475 (2010-11 tax year)

Check Income Tax rates and allowances

Personal Allowance

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When you can't use the tax checker

If you receive tax allowances other than the basic Personal Allowance, your earnings are over a certain limit or you have other taxable income the checker will not give you the right result.

Don't use the checker if any of the following apply:

you're entitled to claim Married Couple's Allowance
you're aged 65 or over and get age-related allowances
your income is over £100,000
you have other taxable income such as income from dividends and trusts
you receive taxable State benefits
you're self-employed

Married Couple's Allowance

Check which state benefits are taxable and which aren't

Correcting your tax return and claiming any refund

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Information to get together before you start

Before you start to use the checker you'll need to have to hand for the relevant tax year all of the information below:

your total earnings before tax was taken off
the total tax you paid on your earnings
the amount of interest you got from bank and building society savings after tax was taken off
the total tax paid on interest from bank and building society savings
the total amount of Gift Aid donations you made

You'll find details of your earnings on payslips or forms P45 and P60.

Tax on bank and building society accounts

PAYE forms P45 and P60

Giving to charity through Gift Aid

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How to use the tax checker

There are a few things you need to know before you use the checker:

the checker works in whole pounds only (you don't need to enter any pence)
you have to round up to the nearest pound any amount you enter in the 'Total tax paid on earnings' box and round down to the nearest pound any amount you enter in other boxes
if you have more than one job, the 'Calculate for more than one job' button will add up the amounts entered for each job and carry them over to the relevant fields
if you have more than one bank or building society account, enter the total amount of interest you've received
if you've made more than one Gift Aid donation, enter the total amount you've donated
if you use the checker for the current tax year, the estimate of any tax refund due is calculated on the basis that you'll have no further income for the tax year

Income you don't need to include

Don't include income that you don't need to pay tax on, such as:

student loan amounts
ISAs (Individual Savings Accounts)
gifts from parents or family
Child Tax Credit
Working Tax Credit
Child Benefit
Maternity Allowance
National Savings (Ordinary Account) interest up to £70

Taxable and non-taxable income at a glance

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Your result

The checker will only give you an estimate. You might get other types of income, allowances or benefits that affect the amount of tax you end up paying.

You may want to print off a copy of your result by following the 'Summary of Calculation' button. If you have any problems printing the result pages, try changing the page orientation from portrait to landscape.

The checker will only provide the right result if you enter all your details correctly.

The checker was originally developed for students but you don't have to be a student to use it.

There is a temporary fault linking to the tax checker. If you receive a 'session timeout' message, select the 'start again' link to activate the tax checker.

Go to tax checker

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