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Tax refund estimator

Tax Rebate Calculator UK (2026/27)

Estimate the income tax you can reclaim from HMRC. Check for an emergency-tax or wrong-code overpayment, and add reliefs like uniform, working-from-home and Marriage Allowance. Free, no signup, no lead form.

Free, no signup2026/27 ratesVerify at gov.uk
Your income
Total taxable income this tax year, before tax
£
Find it on your P60 or latest payslip. This catches emergency tax codes and mid-year job changes.
The tax deducted so far this year (not National Insurance)
£
Reliefs you can claim
Approved union or professional body fees you paid
£
Your partner is a non-taxpayer and transfers £1,260 of their allowance to you.
Estimated tax rebate
£1,526
Estimated income tax you could reclaim from HMRC
Over-withheld PAYETax paid above the correct amount+£1,514
Expense reliefReliefs of £60 at your tax rate+£12.00
Estimated rebate£1,526
Your correct income tax on £35,000 is about £4,486. Anything you paid above that, plus the reliefs above, is reclaimable. You can backdate expense and Marriage Allowance claims up to 4 tax years.
2026/27 estimate, England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Verify current figures at gov.uk; not tax advice.
Simon Chadwick
Simon Chadwick
Founder, Orbit Money
Method: HMRC 2026/27 income tax + gov.uk flat-rate expensesUpdated: 16 July 2026Sources: gov.uk income tax, gov.uk job expenses

Why you might be owed a tax rebate

A tax rebate, or tax refund, is income tax you paid that you did not owe. Under PAYE your employer deducts tax as you go, using your tax code. When the code is wrong or your circumstances change mid-year, the deductions can be too high, and HMRC owes you the difference. There are two common reasons to check: you overpaid through PAYE, or you never claimed a relief you were entitled to.

The most frequent causes of an overpayment are an emergency tax code when you start a job, stopping work partway through the tax year so your Personal Allowance was not fully used, a wrong tax code, or having two jobs where the allowance was split incorrectly. Each of these can leave you having paid more than the correct tax on your income.

How this calculator works out your rebate

It compares the tax you actually paid, from your P60 or payslip, with the correct income tax on your income for 2026/27. If you paid more, the gap is your overpayment. It then adds the value of any reliefs you tick, each of which lowers the income your tax is charged on. Reliefs are worth your tax rate on the amount claimed, so a £60 uniform claim saves £12 at the 20% basic rate and £24 at the 40% higher rate.

Flat-rate job expenses you can claim (2026/27)

If you wear a uniform or protective clothing and pay to clean, repair or replace it, or you buy small tools for work, you can claim a flat-rate expense without keeping receipts. The standard amount is £60 a year, with higher agreed rates for many occupations. Here are some examples from HMRC’s list.

OccupationFlat rate a year
Job not listed (standard rate)£60
Motor mechanics, motor trade£120
Nurses, midwives, therapists£125
Police, up to chief inspector£140
Ambulance staff£185
Cabin crew£720
Airline pilots, co-pilots£1,022

You get tax relief at your tax rate on these amounts, not the amount itself. The full list of occupations and rates is on gov.uk. You can backdate a claim up to four tax years.

Working from home and other reliefs

If your job requires you to work from home, you can claim relief on £6 a week without receipts, worth about £62 a year at the basic rate. You cannot claim if you choose to work from home when an office is available. You can also claim tax relief on professional fees and subscriptions to approved bodies, and Marriage Allowance lets a non-taxpaying partner transfer £1,260 of their Personal Allowance to a basic-rate spouse or civil partner, saving up to £252 a year.

How to claim your rebate

  1. Enter your annual income and the income tax you have paid, from your P60 or latest payslip.
  2. Tick any reliefs that apply: uniform or job expenses, working from home, professional fees, Marriage Allowance.
  3. Read your estimated rebate and the breakdown showing where it comes from.
  4. Check the exact position in your HMRC Personal Tax Account, which shows tax paid and any repayment due.
  5. Claim directly through gov.uk for free, rather than paying a rebate firm a slice of your refund.

Frequently asked questions

How do I calculate my tax refund in the UK?
Work out the correct income tax on your income for the year, then compare it with the tax you actually paid, which you will find on your P60 or payslip. If you paid more than the correct amount, the difference is your refund. On top of that, unclaimed reliefs like flat-rate job expenses, working-from-home relief, professional fees and Marriage Allowance each cut the tax you owe, so they add to what you can reclaim. This calculator does both: it compares your tax paid with the correct 2026/27 figure and adds any reliefs you tick.
How do I check if I am due a tax refund?
You are most likely owed money if you were put on an emergency tax code when starting a job, stopped working partway through the year, were on the wrong tax code, or never claimed reliefs you were entitled to such as a uniform allowance or working-from-home costs. Enter your income and the tax you paid above to see an estimate, then confirm the exact position through your HMRC Personal Tax Account, which shows the tax you have paid and whether a repayment is due.
Will HMRC automatically refund overpaid tax?
Sometimes. After the tax year ends, HMRC reconciles PAYE records and may send a P800 calculation with a refund if it can see you overpaid. It will not know about reliefs you have to claim, though, such as job expenses, working-from-home costs or Marriage Allowance. For those you need to make a claim yourself, either online through gov.uk or by post, so it is worth checking rather than waiting.
How much is the uniform tax rebate?
If you wear a recognisable uniform or protective clothing for work and pay to wash or replace it, you can claim a flat-rate expense. The standard amount is £60 a year where your job is not on HMRC's list, and higher for some occupations, for example £125 for nurses and £185 for ambulance staff. You get tax relief at your tax rate on that amount, so a £60 claim is worth £12 to a basic-rate taxpayer and £24 to a higher-rate taxpayer. You can also backdate a claim up to four tax years.
How much tax rebate will I get for working from home?
If you are required to work from home, you can claim tax relief on £6 a week without keeping receipts. Relief is given at your tax rate, so £6 a week over a full year is worth about £62 to a basic-rate taxpayer and about £125 to a higher-rate taxpayer. You cannot claim if you choose to work from home when an office is available. Claims can be backdated for eligible past years.
Do I need to use a tax rebate company?
No. Many tax rebate firms charge a percentage of your refund, often a large slice, for a claim you can make yourself for free. You can claim job expenses, working-from-home relief and Marriage Allowance directly through gov.uk, and check overpaid PAYE in your Personal Tax Account. This calculator is a free way to estimate the figure first, so you know roughly what you are owed before you claim.

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Simon Chadwick
About the author
Simon Chadwick
Founder of Orbit Money

Simon is the founder of Orbit Money, a tool that helps people track subscriptions and recurring spend. He builds Orbit's free money calculators and writes about personal finance for UK and Australian readers.

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This tool is a guide, not tax advice.