R40 is HMRC's claim for a refund of Income Tax deducted from savings and investment income, for people who aren't in Self Assessment. You can use it if your gross savings and investment income is £10,000 or less, your gross property income is £10,000 or less and your net property income is £2,500 or less. You can claim for the current tax year and the previous 4 years, with a separate claim for each year.
Everything below comes from GOV.UK's guide to claiming a refund of tax on savings and investments and its guide to tax on savings interest, as of October 2026.
Who can and can't use it
| You can use the R40 if | You can't, and need something else, if |
|---|---|
| Gross savings and investment income is £10,000 or less | Your income is above any of these limits |
| Gross income from land and property is £10,000 or less | You're registered for Self Assessment: claim through your tax return instead |
| Net income from land and property is £2,500 or less | You live outside the UK: there's a different form for that |
| Foreign dividends are within this year's dividend allowance |
Those limits are as of October 2026. If you're over them, GOV.UK says you must complete a tax return, and the refund comes through that.
Why you might be owed tax back
GOV.UK explains that most people can earn some interest tax-free through three allowances, each tax year from 6 April to 5 April:
| Allowance | How it works |
|---|---|
| Personal Allowance | £12,570; if wages or pension don't use it all, HMRC applies the rest to savings interest |
| Starting rate for savings | Up to £5,000 of interest tax-free if other taxable income is less than £17,570, reduced £1 for every £1 of other income above the Personal Allowance |
| Personal Savings Allowance | £1,000 for basic rate, £500 for higher rate, £0 for additional rate |
GOV.UK's own worked example: wages of £16,000 use up the £12,570 Personal Allowance and leave £3,430, which cuts the starting rate for savings to £1,570. So £200 of interest is tax-free. When tax has been taken off income that these allowances should have covered, the R40 is how you get it back.
Joint and multiple accounts
Two rules from GOV.UK change the figures you put on a claim. HMRC splits interest on a joint account equally between the account holders, and you contact HMRC if you think it should be split differently. And if you've more than one savings account, HMRC adds the interest from all of them together. Banks and building societies tell HMRC after 5 April each year about interest they paid you. Interest from ISAs and some National Savings and Investments accounts isn't usually taxed at all, so it doesn't belong in a refund claim.
What you'll need
You give details of income from employment, pensions and state benefits, interest and dividends, trusts, settlements and estates, land and property, and foreign sources. GOV.UK points you to:
- your P60 or P45
- bank and building society statements
- letters from the Department for Work and Pensions
- income statements from trusts and estates
- dividend vouchers
The trust and estate statement is the R185. Its boxes map straight onto the R40: on the estate version, box 16 goes to R40 boxes 4.4 and 4.5, box 17 to 4.6 and 4.7, the dividend boxes to 4.9 and 4.10, and box 19 to 7.1 to 7.3. Your P60 covers the employment side.
The evidence step people miss
If you're reclaiming tax that was deducted from interest, the claim alone isn't enough. GOV.UK says you must send a document from the company that paid you showing the gross interest, the tax deducted and the net interest. If you don't have one, ask the payer for it. It goes by post to Pay As You Earn, HM Revenue and Customs, BX9 1AS, United Kingdom. For any other type of repayment, don't send evidence: HMRC will contact you if it needs anything.
Making the claim
- Pick the tax year. You can go back 4 years plus the current one, one claim per year.
- Gather the documents above for that year.
- Start the claim online on GOV.UK and work through each income type.
- If tax was deducted from interest, post the payer's statement to the PAYE address.
- Wait for HMRC to process it. It'll tell you whether you're due a refund and how it'll be paid.
Claiming for someone else
You must apply by post to claim on someone else's behalf. Start the claim online and you'll get a link to the postal form; fill it in with their details and sign your own name in the declaration. If you want the repayment paid to you rather than them, there's a separate GOV.UK process for receiving repayments on behalf of others.
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The verdict
If tax has come off savings, trust or estate income and your total income is low, an R40 for each of the last 4 years can be worth doing. Work out your allowances first using the table above, have the R185 or payer statements ready, and don't forget the posted evidence for interest. Dividends have their own dividend allowance, so check that before you claim tax back on them.
Frequently asked questions
What is the R40 form?
It's HMRC's claim for a refund of Income Tax deducted from savings and investment income, for people who aren't registered for Self Assessment.
How many years can I claim back with R40?
The current tax year and the previous 4 years, with a separate claim for each year.
Who can't use the R40?
People registered for Self Assessment, people whose income is over the limits, and people who live outside the UK, who use a different form.
Do I need to send evidence with an R40?
Only for tax deducted from interest. Post a document from the payer showing the gross interest, tax deducted and net interest to Pay As You Earn, HM Revenue and Customs, BX9 1AS.
Can I claim an R40 for someone else?
Yes, by post. Start online to get the postal form, complete it with their details and sign your own name in the declaration.
What is the Personal Savings Allowance?
Up to £1,000 of interest tax-free for basic rate taxpayers, £500 for higher rate and £0 for additional rate taxpayers, as of October 2026.
