The quickest way to check if your tax return has been processed is to sign in to your HMRC online account or the HMRC app and look at your Self Assessment record for that tax year.
If the return has reached HMRC and been recorded, you will normally see the return listed for the year, a tax calculation and an updated balance showing what you owe or what is due back to you.
Your online record does not update instantly. HMRC guidance states that you must wait three days, which is 72 hours, after filing before you can change your return online. The same waiting period applies before you can print your tax calculation and tax year overview.
Source: Self Assessment tax returns: corrections (GOV.UK)
Source: Get your SA302 tax calculation (GOV.UK)
So if you filed yesterday and the account still looks unchanged, that is usually normal rather than a sign that something has gone wrong.
This guide explains what processed actually means, how to check the position for online and paper returns, how long HMRC takes to reply, and what to do if your return has not appeared.
What does processed actually mean?
Self Assessment works on what HMRC describes as a process now, check later basis. Your return is recorded and your tax is calculated first. Any checking of the figures happens afterwards.
Source: Self Assessment: the legal framework, SALF402 (GOV.UK)
That means processed has two separate meanings, and it is worth keeping them apart.
- Your return has been received and recorded, so a tax calculation exists and your account shows a balance.
- The period in which HMRC can open a check into that return has closed, so the figures are final.
The first usually happens within days. The second takes at least a year. A return can show as complete in your account while HMRC still has time to ask questions about it.
How do you check the status of an online tax return?
Sign in to your personal tax account with your Government Gateway user ID and password. You may be asked to confirm your identity, which normally involves photo identification such as a passport or driving licence.
From there you can submit, view or manage a Self Assessment tax return, check your Income Tax position and claim a refund.
Source: Personal tax account: sign in or set up (GOV.UK)
Once inside your Self Assessment record, the useful checks are:
- Whether the return for that tax year is listed as received.
- Whether a tax calculation has been produced for the year.
- What your current balance is, and whether it matches the figure you expected.
- Whether any payments you have made are showing against the year.
- Whether a repayment is showing, and what status it has.
You can also use the HMRC app. It lets you check your Unique Taxpayer Reference, find out how much tax you owe, make payments, set payment reminders and claim a refund if you have paid too much.
Source: Download the HMRC app (GOV.UK)
A Unique Taxpayer Reference, usually shortened to UTR, is the ten digit number HMRC uses to identify you for Self Assessment. You will need it for most enquiries about your return.
How can you check if your tax return has been processed after filing on paper?
A paper return gives you no immediate on screen confirmation, so the check is different.
HMRC publishes a tool that tells you when to expect a reply on Self Assessment and other taxes, and the information in it is updated weekly. That is the reliable place to look, because published turnaround times change through the year.
Source: Check when you can expect a reply from HMRC (GOV.UK)
Until the return is captured on HMRC systems, your online account will not show a calculation for the year. That does not mean the return is lost. It usually means it is still in the queue.
Keep proof of posting and a copy of everything you sent. If a query arises later, being able to show what was sent and when makes the conversation much shorter.
What if an accountant or software filed the return for you?
Ask whoever filed it for the submission confirmation. Filing software issues a receipt when HMRC accepts a return, and that receipt is your evidence that the return was delivered.
You can still check your own HMRC account for the resulting calculation and balance.
One point catches people out at mortgage application time. If the return was filed through commercial software, you cannot print the tax calculation from your HMRC account. You need to print it from the software used, where it may be called a tax computation. The tax year overview still comes from your HMRC account, and neither document is available until 72 hours after filing.
Source: Get your SA302 tax calculation (GOV.UK)
How do you check a refund after your return has been processed?
If your return shows that you have paid too much tax, you can claim a refund.
Once claimed, your online tax account may show the repayment as pending. That means the refund has been created but still needs to be approved and paid.
There is also a timing rule worth knowing. You may not get a refund if you have tax due in the next 45 days. In that case the amount is normally set against what you owe instead of being paid out.
Source: Self Assessment tax returns: claiming a tax refund (GOV.UK)
For how long a repayment should take, use the same HMRC reply tool rather than relying on how long it took last year.
What should you do if your return has not appeared?
Work through the simple explanations first.
- Check that at least three days have passed since you filed, because the record does not update immediately.
- Check you are looking at the correct tax year, as the year that ended on 5 April is filed in the months that follow.
- Check you are signed in to the right account, which matters if you have both a personal and a business Government Gateway login.
- Check the return was actually submitted rather than saved as a draft.
- Check the submission receipt from your software or your accountant.
- Check the expected reply time if you filed on paper, before assuming the return is missing.
If none of that explains it, contact HMRC with your UTR, the tax year and the date you filed. Keep a note of the date, the reference number of the call and what you were told.
Do not simply file a second return because the first has not appeared. A duplicate can create confusion on your record that takes longer to unpick than the original delay.
Can you still change a return once it has been processed?
Yes, within a time limit. You have 12 months from the Self Assessment filing deadline to amend your return.
For an online return you sign in, wait the three days after filing, then update the return itself. Your bill is updated within three days and shows the difference from the old figure, so you can see whether you owe more or less tax.
For a paper return you download a new SA100, write amendment on each page, add your name and UTR, and send it to the address on your Self Assessment paperwork.
If you are outside the 12 month window you need to write to HMRC. Where you have overpaid, a claim for overpayment relief can normally be made up to four years after the end of the tax year, and it must be signed by you rather than by an agent.
Source: Self Assessment tax returns: corrections (GOV.UK)
Interest can be charged on tax that turns out to have been underpaid, running from the date the tax was originally due.
How long can HMRC check your return after it is processed?
A processed return is not automatically a closed return.
For a return filed on time, HMRC has up to 12 months from the date the return was delivered to give notice of an enquiry. Where a return is filed late or amended, the deadline runs to the quarter day following the first anniversary of delivery, and the quarter days are 31 January, 30 April, 31 July and 31 October. Only one notice of enquiry can be given for each return or amendment.
Source: Enquiries into tax returns, SALF403 (GOV.UK)
If that period passes with no notice, the return is generally final, although limited exceptions exist where information was not fully disclosed.
A compliance check is HMRC looking at your figures in more detail. HMRC may ask to visit your premises or ask you to attend its office, and you can be represented by an adviser. Penalties can apply if you do not provide information requested, unless you have a reasonable excuse such as serious illness or bereavement.
At the end of a check, an overpayment is refunded, sometimes with interest. An underpayment is normally due within 30 days, usually with interest from the original due date. You can appeal if you disagree with the outcome.
Source: Compliance checks (GOV.UK)
An example of how this plays out
The following example is illustrative only.
A self employed graphic designer files her return online in early January and expects a refund. She checks her account the next morning, sees no calculation and worries that the return has failed.
Three days later the return is showing, along with a calculation and a repayment marked as pending. She has a payment on account due at the end of the month, so the refund is set against that liability rather than paid to her.
Nothing has gone wrong. The return was processed, the timing rules simply worked through in order. The outcome in any particular case depends on your own figures and payment position.
Frequently asked questions
How long after filing does a tax return show in my HMRC account?
Allow three days. HMRC guidance uses the same 72 hour period before you can amend a return online or print your tax calculation and tax year overview.
Does HMRC confirm that my tax return has been received?
Filing online or through software produces a submission confirmation. Keep it. For a paper return, there is no instant confirmation, so use HMRC’s tool to check when to expect a reply.
What does pending mean next to my refund?
It means the repayment has been created but has not yet been approved and paid. It does not tell you the date the money will arrive.
Why has my refund been used against my tax bill?
You may not receive a refund if you have tax due in the next 45 days. The amount is normally set against the liability instead.
Can I check whether HMRC has accepted my figures?
Not directly. A recorded return and a calculation show that the return has been processed. Whether HMRC will look more closely at the figures is a separate question, governed by the enquiry time limits above.
My return is processed but the tax owed looks wrong. What should I do?
Check the figures on the return first, then check which payments have been allocated to the year and whether payments on account are included. If the return itself was wrong, amend it within 12 months of the filing deadline.
Can I ask someone else to check the status for me?
An authorised agent, such as your accountant, can see your Self Assessment record and speak to HMRC on your behalf once the authorisation is in place.
How SuperFiler can help
Most worries about a return are really questions about timing, records or what a figure on screen means.
SuperFiler can help you with:
- Preparing and filing your Self Assessment tax return.
- Checking whether your return has been recorded and your calculation is correct.
- Explaining your HMRC balance, payments on account and any repayment.
- Amending a return within the time limits.
- Responding to HMRC queries and compliance checks.
- Obtaining tax calculations and tax year overviews for lenders.
- Setting up records that make next year’s return straightforward.
If you want help to check if your tax return has been processed, or you would rather someone reviewed the figures before HMRC does, arrange a conversation with SuperFiler.
Important note: This article provides general information. Tax treatment depends on individual circumstances. Current HMRC guidance should be checked before action is taken.
