How do I claim a tax refund?

Within the UK, the tax system operates in a way that a percentage of your wage will be deducted from each month, along with a deduction for national insurance. The amount of tax deducted will depend on the amount of the salary, there are different tax rates ranging from 20% for the lowest earners through to 50% for earners over 150,000. The tax system operates generally simply when an individual only has one job, but if they have more their tax allowances must be split up between the jobs. In order to split tax amounts and to gain new tax codes the Inland Revenue need to be contacted.
In some cases people pay more tax than they should actually do, this often happens if someone has more than one job and the tax codes have not been split appropriately. This can also happen if a new employer does not have a tax code for an employee, they will then be put on an emergency tax rate. If an employee realizes they have been over charged tax and wish to claim the money back as soon as possible it will be their responsibility and not the employer. There are numerous ways in which tax can be claimed back.
The first option is to contact the Inland Revenue by telephone, here you will be asked numerous security questions. You will then need to explain you have been over taxed and explain the reason if known. The Inland Revenue are then likely to do one of two things. They may change your tax allowances so that you get the money back in your next wage, once the tax codes have been changed. Or they may explain why this has happened and explain the money will be repaid at the end of the tax year.
If a telephone enquiry is not suitable then a letter could be written to the local Inland Revenue office. Such offices are often very busy and therefore how quickly a request will be dealt with can not be stated, but it could be months. Here the letter should include all of the relevant details, including tax codes and the amount which you believe you have been over charged. The letter must state exactly what you request, for example, does a new tax code need to be issued, or is it a request for the tax to be repaid.
The final option is to leave the over charge of tax and wait for the end of the tax year. When the end of the tax year emerges each individual who have their tax checked and if they have over paid tax a rebate will be automatically issued. For some people this may be the most simple method to take.