HMRC are expecting taxpayers who have signed up for a personal tax account to access the account and submit their bank details to obtain the refund. HMRC have said that the new service puts customers in control of their tax affairs, allowing them to make any money owing to them immediately. They can claim at a time that suits them, from a device of their choice, securely, and without needing to wait for a cheque in the post.

Customers will have access to funds cleared in their account within 3-5 days rather than the two weeks it would typically take for a cheque to be issued, banked and cleared.

The online refund is just one of many services customers can access through their personal tax account. With the personal tax account customers can:

• View and update personal details
• See how their tax is calculated
• See the progress of forms sent to HMRC
• Check the expected level of state pension
• Find out about Marriage Allowance entitlement and make a claim online
• See tax credit payments and report changes in circumstances

Taxpayers can sign up for a personal tax account at https://www.gov.uk/personal-tax-account.