Claiming a tax rebate as a working student

If you are a student who works you could be entitled to a tax rebate as your employer may not have taken into account the fact that you earn less than the current tax free allowance.

Anyone who earns over the tax free allowance - £6,475 for 2010/2011 - is eligible to pay tax. However, as a student it is highly unlikely you will earn that much.

As such, you can claim student tax exemption and, if your employer has deducted tax from your wages, an income tax refund.

How do I find out if I have paid tax?

Always check your payslip to see if any tax has been deducted. If it has, take a look at your gross pay and see if it is likely to be over the tax free allowance at the end of the year. If not, then you are entitled to claim the tax paid back.

Even if you have earned over the tax free allowance, you may still be entitled to a rebate. Use our income tax rebate calculator to find out.

I have finished studying - can I still claim?

Yes, even though you are no longer a student you can claim a tax refund if you worked while you were, going back as far as six years.

How can I claim my UK student tax exemption and any income tax rebate?

You can either do this yourself or use a tax rebate agent like us. If you wish to claim yourself then you will need:

• Your P45/P60s
• Form P91 - Employment History
• Form P85/P86 - if you are a foreign student who studied and worked in the UK
• Form P38(S) - to get your UK student tax exemption
• Covering letter

Once completed, you send these off to your local tax office. If you wish to use a tax rebate agent, then The Entitlements Agency will gather all the documents and information for you and apply for your tax refund on your behalf.