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Why can't I claim a tax refund?

Name: RIFT Refunds
Address: RIFT House, 200 Eureka Park, Upper Pemberton, Ashford, Kent, TN25 4AZ
Telephone: 01233 628648
Rating: 4.5

As much as we'd like to help everybody claim hard earned cash back from the taxman we have to adhere to HMRC's criteria when deciding whether or not to make a claim. It's their rules and there is no getting round them, no matter how arbitrary they may seem.

Before we submit a tax rebate claim we ask everybody a few simple questions to check whether you're likely to be successful in making a claim, here we explain why your answers to those questions might exclude you from making a claim.

Why can't I claim a tax refund?Not being able to claim a tax refund isn't necessarily a bad thing...

Although it may seem disappointing if you have nothing due back from HMRC all that really means is that you haven't been out of pocket for the last 1-4-years and you can use our tax refund calculator for future years. You're not losing out now, if there is a claim to make it's because you've overpaid tax. It's not winning the lottery, it's putting things right.

Tax Calculator

Why Can't I Claim?I've only worked at one place per company.

To be eligible for tax back on your travel the place you’re working must be considered a “temporary workplace” under HMRC’s guidelines.

If you only worked at one place (e.g. at a head office) during an employment, even if you did that job for less than 2 years, it's considered your permanent workplace so you won't qualify for a tax refund.

Why Can't I Claim?I didn't use my own vehicle or public transport to get to work.

To claim tax back against travel expenses you must have paid the tax on the travel expense of the journey yourself, so for example if you catch a lift with a friend and give them cash you won’t be able to claim (but you can earn a referral reward if you tell them about us!).

If you cycle to work you could be eligible for a small amount of tax relief on the mileage you do but in most cases this is too small an amount of money to make a claim.

Why Can't I ClaimI attended a temporary workplace and paid for travel to get there more than 4-years ago.

Unfortunately HMRC currently only allows for claims of this type to be backdated four tax years so you will no longer be able to reclaim this overpaid tax.

One of the worst feelings in the world is finding out you would have been due a refund but missed the cut off date for claiming it. Don't get caught that way, give us a call as soon as you can if you think you have a claim.

Why Can't I Claim?I am happy using my accountant.

When we complete your tax refund for you we become your nominated agent for dealings with HMRC. It's recommended that you only have one agent representing your tax affairs to HMRC at a time to prevent mistakes.

If you decide to have us act as your accountant, you can call us on 01233 628648 and speak to one of our advisers.

MOD Tax RefundsI'm in the MOD and haven't completed phase 1 training.

This doesn't exclude you from getting a tax refund in future - many people in the forces are able to make a tax rebate claim against the travel they do for Phase 2 training.

MOD Tax RefundsAll of my postings have been over 2 years.

To get a tax rebate your MOD posting must be considered a 'temporary workplace' under HMRC's guidelines. For people in the forces this is usually in one of three circumstances:

Most often you did a posting that was always meant to be two years or less (i.e. your assignment order stated 2 years or less) and it wasn't extended.
You started posting for which your assignment order was over two years but cut short. In this circumstance you can claim for the time you were told it was ending early. Let us know if you think this applies to you.
You started a posting for which the assignment order was under 2 years but it was extended. In this circumstance you can claim for the posting up to the time you were told it was being extended. Tell us if you think this applies to you.

If all of your assignment orders in the last 4-years have been for longer than 2 years and you also stayed at the post for longer than 2 years then unfortunately none of the bases you went count as a 'temporary workplace' meaning that you won't be able to make a claim for a tax rebate.

This won't exclude you from making a claim in the future if you do a posting that does count so get in touch if your situation changes. Let us know if you would like us to remind you to check again in the new tax year.

Offshore tax refunds I'm an offshore worker on ships and always depart from the same port.

Note: "offshore installations" (e.g. rigs) are not regarded as ships for this purpose.

To be eligible for tax back on your travel your workplace under HMRC’s guidelines must be considered temporary.

Because their locations aren't fixed, if you worked on ships the port you use is considered your permanent workplace for the purposes of this legislation. For this reason you will not be able to claim an offshore tax rebate.

Our GuaranteeOur guarantee means you'll never lose a penny

When you claim your tax refund with RIFT, our unique RIFT Guarantee means that you don't have to worry about the taxman reclaiming any of your money. So long as you give us full and accurate information, if HMRC disagrees with the amount that we’ve claimed and ask for the money back, we’ll pay it. It won’t cost you a penny.

RIFT Guarantee

Refer A FriendExtra cash for you and your mates

Help your mates get a tax refund and get an extra £50 in your own pocket! At RIFT, we love it when happy clients tell their friends about us.

We love it so much that we reward you for doing it! To thank you we'll give you £50 for everyone you recommend (T&Cs apply) who claims with us, but we'll give you a bonus of an extra £150 if 5 people do.

That's £400 in your pocket as well as the warm glow you get from helping out your mates.

Refer your friends

Refer A FriendGet Started

Simply enter your friend’s name and email address on our referral form, and we’ll send them a one off email to let them know you think RIFT tax refunds could help them.

If they get in touch and claim a refund, we’ll send you a £50 reward for your help.
And for every 5 you send that claim, you get an extra £150 bonus.

Ask us any questions on Facebook, Livechat or call us on 01233 628648.

Refer your friends

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Wondering if you can claim a tax refund or need to submit a tax return? Use our online tools to find out if you're owed money by HMRC.

Do I Qualify?

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Why can't I claim a tax refund?​