How Long Does an HMRC Tax Refund Take to Reach Your Bank?
If you claim an HMRC tax refund online, the money normally reaches your bank within 5 working days. If you leave it to HMRC to send a cheque instead, allow up to 6 weeks.
Those two figures are the whole answer for most people. What causes confusion is everything either side of them — how long HMRC takes to work out that you are owed anything, and the gap between HMRC saying the money has gone and it actually appearing.
At a glance
- Claimed online
- Within 5 working days
- Cheque instead
- Up to 6 weeks
- Self Assessment repayment
- Usually within 2 weeks
- How it arrives
- BACS, into the account you nominate
- Time of day
- Overnight, by 7am
- Cost to claim
- Free, direct from HMRC
Key takeaways
- An online repayment request reaches your bank within 5 working days.
- Leave it 21 days without claiming and HMRC posts a cheque instead, which takes up to 6 weeks.
- Refunds are paid by BACS, so once issued they land overnight and are available by 7am.
- A P800 calculation only arrives after the tax year ends, usually between June and November.
- HMRC never texts or emails offering a refund — every one of those is a scam.
How long does an HMRC tax refund take?
The timing depends entirely on how the refund reaches you.
| How you receive it | How long it takes |
|---|---|
| Online repayment request (P800) | Within 5 working days |
| Cheque, sent automatically | Up to 6 weeks from the date on your tax calculation letter |
| Self Assessment repayment | Usually within 2 weeks of the return being processed |
| Claim by post | Considerably longer — allow 6 to 8 weeks before chasing |
The fastest route is always claiming online and giving HMRC your bank details. If you do nothing after receiving a P800, HMRC waits 21 days and then posts a cheque, which is what turns a five-day wait into a six-week one.
The two clocks people confuse
There are two separate waits, and most frustration comes from treating them as one.
Clock one: HMRC working out that you are owed money. For PAYE overpayments this happens after the tax year ends on 5 April, and P800 calculations are typically issued between June and November. Nothing you do speeds this up, and there is no queue position to check.
Clock two: getting the money once HMRC agrees. This is the 5 working days, or the 6 weeks by cheque. This clock only starts when you have a calculation or an accepted return.
Someone waiting since April is usually still on clock one. Someone who claimed last Tuesday is on clock two.
What happens between "issued" and "in your account"
HMRC pays refunds by BACS, the same system that pays wages and benefits. That has two consequences worth knowing.
BACS runs a three working day cycle — submitted, processed, credited — so a refund marked as issued on a Monday is not in your account that afternoon. It lands overnight at the end of the cycle.
And because it arrives by BACS, it follows the same overnight pattern as any other BACS credit: the money is available by 7am on the day it lands, with most banks crediting between midnight and about 3am.
⏱️ When will my payment clear?
Faster Payments are usually instant (and available within 2 hours at most), 24/7 — including weekends and bank holidays. Occasionally a first payment to a new payee is held briefly for security.
A guide based on how the UK payment schemes normally work, using England & Wales bank holidays. Your bank’s cut-off times and security checks can shift the exact timing — check your banking app for a specific payment.
What time does a tax refund go into your bank?
Once HMRC has released the payment, arrival time is set by your bank, not by HMRC. Nationwide, Monzo and Starling often credit late the night before. Barclays and Santander are commonly nearer 2–3am. Every bank must make BACS funds available by 7am.
⏰ When will your refund land? · pick your bank
If your refund is due today, expect it in your Nationwide account roughly between 11pm and 12:30am. Often lands late the night before — one of the earliest. Whatever your bank, BACS guarantees the money is available by 7am on the day it’s due.
Payment due on a weekend or bank holiday? You’ll normally be paid on the working day before instead.
Times are typical patterns reported by customers, not official or guaranteed — these payments are made by BACS and each bank releases them on its own overnight schedule. Only the 7am availability rule is fixed. Check your banking app for the exact time your payment shows.
Every bank, side by side
| Your bank | Typical arrival | What people report |
|---|---|---|
| Nationwide | 11pm – 12:30am | Often lands late the night before — one of the earliest. |
| NatWest | 11:30pm – 2am | Standard overnight run, in well before 7am. |
| Royal Bank of Scotland | 11:30pm – 2am | Standard overnight run, in well before 7am. |
| Ulster Bank | 11:30pm – 2am | Standard overnight run, in well before 7am. |
| Halifax | 12am – 1am | Standard overnight run, in well before 7am. |
| Lloyds | 12am – 1am | Standard overnight run, in well before 7am. |
| Bank of Scotland | 12am – 1am | Standard overnight run, in well before 7am. |
| HSBC | 11:45pm – 2am | Standard overnight run, in well before 7am. |
| First Direct | 12am – 2am | Standard overnight run, in well before 7am. |
| Barclays | 1am – 3am | Tends to be one of the later ones — often around 2–3am. |
| Santander | 1am – 3am | Commonly reported around 2–3am. |
| TSB | 12am – 2am | Standard overnight run, in well before 7am. |
| Co-operative Bank | 1am – 3am | Standard overnight run, in well before 7am. |
| Metro Bank | 12am – 3am | Standard overnight run, in well before 7am. |
| Virgin Money | 12am – 3am | Standard overnight run, in well before 7am. |
| Chase | 12am – 2am | Standard overnight run, in well before 7am. |
| Monzo | 11pm – 12:30am | Credits as soon as it's received — often before midnight, no holding. |
| Starling | 11pm – 12:30am | Credits as soon as it's received — often before midnight, no holding. |
Does the day of the week change it?
- Monday
- Same as any other working day. BACS processes overnight on Sunday, so a Monday payment lands in your usual window — it is not slower for falling after the weekend.
- Tuesday to Friday
- Your bank’s normal overnight window, available by 7am at the latest.
- Saturday or Sunday
- BACS does not credit on non-working days, so a payment due at the weekend is paid on the Friday before — arriving in the early hours of Friday, not Saturday.
- Bank holiday
- Treated the same as a weekend: you are paid on the last working day before the holiday. Over Christmas and Easter that can move a payment forward by several days.
So if HMRC's online account says the repayment has been issued and nothing has appeared, check again the following morning before assuming anything has gone wrong.
Why a refund gets delayed
Most delays have ordinary causes rather than anything sinister.
- Security checks. HMRC screens repayments for fraud, and larger or first-time refunds are more likely to be selected. A check adds weeks, and HMRC will not usually tell you one is happening.
- Bank details that do not match. If the name on the account does not match the name on the tax record, the payment can be rejected and reissued as a cheque.
- An outstanding debt. HMRC will offset a refund against tax you owe elsewhere before paying anything out.
- A return still being processed. A Self Assessment repayment cannot start until the return itself has cleared, which takes longer if figures were amended.
- Claiming on paper. Postal claims are slower at every stage, and there is no online trail to check.
If nothing has arrived six weeks after claiming online, that is the point to contact HMRC rather than wait longer.
Refund cheques, and why they take so long
A cheque has to be printed, posted, delivered, paid in and then cleared. Each stage adds days, which is how six weeks accumulates from what should be a five-day payment.
Cheques from HMRC are typically valid for six months from the date of issue. If yours has expired or been lost, HMRC can reissue it, but that restarts the wait.
Paying it in is the last hurdle, and banking apps handle cheques inconsistently. Our guide to cashing a cheque covers the options if you no longer have a branch nearby.
Beware of refund scams
HMRC does not text, email or WhatsApp people about tax refunds, and never asks for card details to release one. Any message doing either is a scam, without exception.
Genuine refunds are notified by post, or appear in your online tax account when you sign in yourself — never through a link someone sent you. If a message looks plausible, close it and sign in at GOV.UK directly rather than following anything in it.
Be wary of refund agents too. Firms offering to reclaim tax on your behalf commonly take 20% to 40% of the refund, and the online claim they are doing for you takes about ten minutes and costs nothing.
Frequently asked questions
How long does an HMRC tax refund take to go into your bank?
An online repayment request normally reaches your bank within 5 working days. If you wait for HMRC to post a cheque instead, allow up to 6 weeks from the date on your tax calculation letter.
What time does an HMRC refund go into your bank account?
HMRC pays refunds by BACS, so the money is available by 7am on the day it arrives, and most banks credit it overnight between midnight and about 3am. The exact time is set by your bank rather than by HMRC.
How long does a Self Assessment repayment take?
Usually within 2 weeks of the return being processed, provided HMRC holds your bank details. Repayments selected for a security check take longer, and HMRC does not normally tell you that a check is under way.
Why is my tax refund taking so long?
The most common reasons are a fraud or security check, bank details that do not match the name on your tax record, an outstanding tax debt the refund has been offset against, or a paper claim rather than an online one. Six weeks after an online claim is a reasonable point to contact HMRC.
When will I get my P800 tax calculation?
P800 calculations are worked out after the tax year ends on 5 April and are typically issued between June and November. There is no way to bring that forward, and no queue position to check.
Can I get my tax refund faster?
Claim online rather than waiting for a cheque — that is the single biggest difference, turning up to 6 weeks into about 5 working days. Making sure HMRC holds correct bank details in your name avoids the other common cause of delay.
Do I have to pay to claim a tax refund?
No. Claiming direct from HMRC is free and takes around ten minutes. Refund agents typically keep 20% to 40% of the money for doing the same thing, and some sign you up to claim on your behalf for future years too.
Waiting on money to arrive? What time do wages go into your bank? · What time do DWP and benefit payments go in? · How long do bank transfers take? · How to cash a cheque
General information only, not tax advice. Timings are HMRC's published service standards and can vary, particularly where a repayment is selected for checking. For anything specific to your record, contact HMRC directly through GOV.UK.
