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Tax & HMRC · 7 min read

How to Check if the Government Owes You Money (UK, 2026)

Six legitimate places where UK money sits unclaimed — tax, council tax, pensions, savings and more — and how to check each one for free.

Last reviewed 1 October 2026

Key takeaways
  • ✓HMRC holds hundreds of millions in unclaimed tax refunds — the most common place you're owed money.
  • ✓Council tax overpayments and wrong bands can mean £1,000s backdated.
  • ✓Lost pensions, dormant bank accounts and Premium Bonds are all searchable for free.
  • ✓You rarely get this money automatically — you usually have to check and claim.

"Does the government owe me money?" — surprisingly often, yes, and in more than one place. The catch is that almost none of it comes to you automatically; you have to look. Here are the six legitimate places to check, free, starting with the most common.

The six places to check

  • —Overpaid PAYE tax: the biggest one. Wrong or emergency tax codes, job changes and unclaimed reliefs mean HMRC holds hundreds of millions in unclaimed refunds. You can reclaim four tax years back.
  • —Council tax: you may be in too high a band (refundable, backdated) or missing a discount or reduction.
  • —Lost pensions: the government's free Pension Tracing Service finds workplace and personal pensions you've lost track of.
  • —Dormant bank & building society accounts: search free via My Lost Account.
  • —Premium Bonds & NS&I prizes: NS&I has unclaimed prizes you can check with your holder's number.
  • —Child Trust Funds: anyone born 2002–2011 may have a maturing fund they've never claimed.
Start with the most likely one — your tax code

Overpaid tax is the most common. Paste your tax code into our free checker to see if a refund is likely.

Open the free tax code checker

Watch out for scams

Genuine checks are free and start from official sites (GOV.UK, NS&I, the Pension Tracing Service). HMRC never texts or emails you a link to "claim your refund", and you never need to pay a percentage to a reclaim firm for money you can claim yourself.

Check your biggest likely refund properly

The £9.99 PAYE Tax Refund Check works out what HMRC may owe you and gives you the exact steps to claim it — you keep 100%.

Run the £9.99 tax refund check

Questions

How do I know if the government owes me money?+
Check the common places one by one: overpaid PAYE tax (the most common — reclaimable four years back), council tax band/discounts, lost pensions via the Pension Tracing Service, dormant bank accounts via My Lost Account, and NS&I Premium Bond prizes. All are free to check.
Is checking if you're owed money free?+
Yes. Every genuine check starts from an official source and costs nothing. Be wary of firms charging a percentage — you can claim tax refunds, pensions and dormant accounts yourself for free.
Does HMRC automatically refund overpaid tax?+
Not always. It reconciles some PAYE accounts after the tax year and issues a P800, but many refunds — work-from-home relief, Marriage Allowance, uniform and fee claims — you have to claim yourself.
Free tool
Free UK Tax Code Checker
Enter your tax code and we tell you what it means, whether it looks wrong, and if you may be owed a refund — instantly, free, no email required.
£9.99 audit
PAYE Tax Refund Check
Find out if HMRC owes you money — in under 60 seconds.