Bettertax PAYE Tax Refunds Process

How do I get started with my PAYE tax refund?

Unless requested, we don't approach any clients directly. We figure that if you're here, it's because you want to be, so any relationship would need to be initiated by you, whether that be with a phone call on 01280 821020 or using the contact form on this site. We believe that you're here because you've either been recommended to us by a friend/colleague or you simply believe you may be entitled to a tax refund and have gone online to actively seek assistance.

Do I qualify and how do I apply?

One of our team will discuss your circumstances with a view to establishing a need for our tax refunds service. Once this happens, we will organise for a pack to be sent out to you. We go through the contents of the pack and explain what you'll need to do in order to get your tax refund process started.

How long does my registration take?

The returned application form is forwarded to HMRC as soon as we receive it. It will typically take somewhere between 8-12 weeks for a PAYE professional to be registered for self-assessment and as our client. If however you are working PAYE but have registered under CIS (Construction Industry Scheme) in the past & already have a UTR number, it generally takes 6-9 weeks for your registration as a Bettertax client to come through.

What do I need to do?

Not a lot in truth. You'll receive a request to complete a self-assessment in the post but you don't have to take any action, simply give us a call and we'll take the lead from there. Once we have your UTR number, we would get in touch with the tax office to request pay & tax details for each year you want us to complete*

We would typically receive this information by post within 14 working days of the request. You will be responsible for providing pay & tax details for any self-employed work you may have done as well as any benefits you may have received.

As soon as we have all of this information, we'll be able to arrange an appointment for one of our tax advisors to go through your expenses with you. Don't worry if you've not done this before, they know everything you're able to claim for to ensure that you get back the maximum tax refund you're legally entitled to. In the future, you may find it useful to have 12 envelopes or plastic wallets, for each month of the year, so that any receipts, bank statements and other expense payments, can all be safely kept as a record.

*If you have P60's for each of the tax years you want us to look at, this will significantly speed up your tax claim process, so please do let us know.

What happens from there?

It then takes up to 72 hours for us collate the information, complete your self-assessment and make the submission to HMRC and then we both play the waiting game. A typical submission to payout lifecycle is somewhere around 8-12 weeks but this is only an estimate and in some cases it will in fact come through a lot sooner, in others it can take a lot longer.

I've had a receipt from HMRC

HMRC will send you a letter in the post detailing what your tax refund is. These receipts can be sent to you up to five weeks in advance of your tax rebate being released and will of course state the amount refunded before our fee and VAT. Remember that we don't get paid until you do, so we'll do everything in our power to ensure that the process is as smooth and as fast a possible.

When will I receive my refund?

We never hold on to any money, so the day your tax refund hits our client account, we will be in touch to take your bank details and transfer funds into your nominated account the very same day.