HMRC has issued a response to worried taxpayers who are expecting rebates now the new financial year is well underway. A taxpayer reached out to the taxman on X, formerly Twitter.
The taxpayer said they had filed their tax return on April 8, while someone else they knew had filed theirs on April 10. They said they were both due a tax refund, and while their friend had received the amount in their bank account, theirs had yet to arrive.
He explained: 'My status is still showing as 'not yet used'. Is it possible to get my refund processed manually please?' HMRC issued a response and said: 'Please contact this helpline, though we may be making extra checks on the repayment which can take longer.'
Further Queries
Another taxpayer said: 'Now the link you have sent me says to expect a reply on 19/05/2026. Can I ask why the status is still stating 'not yet used' please? I have requested the refund twice and now it's saying you can request it again.'
In reply, HMRC said: 'That indicates that something has blocked the refund, so it's going back to available. You need to call the line so an adviser can check what that is.'
The taxpayer said: 'After waiting on hold for 57 minutes, the lady said simply that it is undergoing security checks and that could take 12 weeks or longer and she cannot tell me any more than that. Last year I had the same problem but the status was 'pending' rather than 'not yet used'.'
Possible Causes
In reply, the Labour Party government's tax arm said: 'Both can happen. Just that sometimes 'not yet used' indicates it might be a simple issue such as wrong address.'
If you believe you are owed a tax refund, there is a tool you can use on the Government website to find out how to claim back the amount.
