A taxpayer contacted HMRC as they were owed some cash
HMRC has shed light on its rules for issuing tax refunds, including some key dates for receiving funds. The information came after a taxpayer queried how to input their bank details to receive an income tax refund.
The person initially reached out on October 8, telling HMRC: “I was told I can do that on the personal tax account page, but can’t find any way.” HMRC responded to first ask which tax year in they had overpaid in, and whether they had received an invitation to claim online. The taxpayer replied that the overpayment was for the 2006/2007 tax year and that they had been sent a cheque to their current address in Japan.
The person stated that they were unable to cash the cheque where they reside and requested the funds be transferred to their personal tax account or their Wise bank account. Wise is an international banking service that allows customers to hold multiple currencies in one account.
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HMRC then advised the person to write to the department with the details of their foreign bank. The taxpayer was informed that the letter should include details such as the name of the bank, their account name and number, and the relevant sort code / IBAN / SWIFT / BIC / BSB code / routing number.
The person then queried whether they would need to return the cheque. HMRC clarified that this wasn’t necessary, as they simply needed to present the cheque to their bank for the amount to be credited to their account.
In a follow-up message today (November 11), the person said that they had indeed returned the cheque and that HMRC appeared to have received it on October 14. They mentioned seeing an online message stating ‘completed’.
They further questioned when exactly the funds would be deposited into their account. In response, HMRC confirmed: “Usually this should be actioned within 8 weeks from the date we received the request.”
If the request was received on October 14, adhering to the 8-week rule, this would mean the sum would land in the person’s bank account by December 9. If HRMC received such a request on November 5, this implies you would receive the amount by December 31.
