How WFTC refunds are paid to you

Your Working Families Tax Credit refund is paid by HMRC directly into the bank account you provided on your claim form. HMRC does not mail cheques for WFTC refunds. The payment goes to the account name and sort code you gave when you claimed, so if you have moved banks or closed that account since you claimed, the payment may bounce back to HMRC and be held there.

If you claimed online through your personal tax account, the bank details HMRC has on file are the ones you used to set up that account. If you claimed by post or phone, the details come from the form you submitted. Check your claim confirmation letter or log into your tax account to see which account HMRC has recorded.

HMRC will not contact you to ask which account to use or to confirm details. If the refund fails to reach you, you will need to contact HMRC to update your bank information and request the payment be sent again.

Key Takeaways

  • WFTC refunds are paid only by bank transfer to the account you provided when you claimed, never by cheque or cash.
  • The payment can take 5 to 10 working days to arrive after HMRC processes your claim, depending on your bank.
  • If you have changed banks since you claimed, contact HMRC to update your details before the refund is sent.
  • You can check the status of your refund through your personal tax account or by calling the WFTC helpline.

Timeline from claim to payment

HMRC typically processes a WFTC claim within 2 to 4 weeks of receiving it, whether you claimed online or by post. Once HMRC has processed your claim and calculated your refund, they send the payment instruction to your bank. From that point, the transfer itself takes 3 to 5 working days on average, though some banks process payments within 1 working day and others take up to 10 days.

The total time from submission to money in your account is usually 3 to 6 weeks, but can stretch to 8 weeks if HMRC needs to request additional information from you or if there are delays in the post. If you claimed online, the processing is generally faster because HMRC receives the information when ready and does not need to manually enter data.

Weekends and bank holidays do not count as working days, so a payment sent on a Friday may not clear until the following Tuesday or Wednesday.

Checking the status of your refund

Log into your personal tax account on the HMRC website to see whether your claim has been processed and whether a payment has been issued. Your tax account shows the date HMRC sent the payment to your bank, not the date it arrived in your account. If the status shows "payment issued" but the money has not arrived after 10 working days, contact your bank to check whether the transfer was received.

If you do not have a personal tax account, you can call the WFTC helpline on 0345 300 3900 to ask about your refund status. Have your National Insurance number and claim reference ready. The helpline can tell you whether your claim has been processed, how much the refund is, and when it was sent to your bank.

What to do if the refund has not arrived

If 10 working days have passed since HMRC issued the payment and the money is not in your account, contact your bank first. Ask them to check whether the transfer was received and whether it is pending in your account under a different name or reference. Some banks hold transfers for review if the amount is unusual or if there is a mismatch between the account name and the payer name.

If your bank confirms the transfer was not received, contact HMRC when ready. You will need to provide the date HMRC issued the payment (from your tax account) and your bank details. HMRC can then investigate whether the payment was sent to the wrong account or whether there was a technical error. HMRC may reissue the payment to a different account if you have since changed banks.

Do not assume the refund is lost if it takes longer than expected. HMRC processes thousands of WFTC claims each week, and delays of 2 to 3 weeks beyond the original estimate are not unusual during peak periods.

If you changed banks after claiming

If you have closed the bank account you provided on your WFTC claim or switched to a different bank, you must update your details with HMRC before the refund is sent. Log into your personal tax account and update your bank details in the account settings. If you do not have a personal tax account, call the WFTC helpline on 0345 300 3900 and provide your new sort code and account number.

If the refund has already been sent to your old account and the transfer was rejected, HMRC will hold the payment. Contact HMRC with your new bank details and ask them to reissue the payment. This process can add 2 to 3 weeks to the timeline.

Refunds for claims that span multiple years

If your WFTC claim covers more than one tax year, HMRC may issue separate refunds for each year. For example, a claim covering April 2022 to March 2024 might result in one payment for the 2022–23 tax year and another for 2023–24. Both payments go to the same bank account, but they are issued on different dates and may arrive days or weeks apart.

Check your claim confirmation letter to see how many tax years your claim covers. If you receive one refund but are expecting a second, wait at least 2 weeks before contacting HMRC, as the second payment may still be in processing.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can HMRC send my refund to a different account than the one I claimed with?

Only if you contact HMRC and request the change before the payment is issued. Once HMRC has sent the payment to the original account, you cannot redirect it. If the original account is closed, the payment bounces back and HMRC holds it until you provide new details.

What if my refund amount seems wrong?

Check your claim confirmation letter, which shows the calculation HMRC used. If the amount does not match what you expected, contact the WFTC helpline on 0345 300 3900. They can explain how the refund was calculated and whether you are may have access to to more or less than the amount issued.

Do I need to do anything after the refund arrives?

No. Once the refund is in your account, your claim is complete. Keep your claim confirmation letter for your records, but you do not need to contact HMRC again unless you have a query about the amount or the calculation.

What happens if I move house before the refund arrives?

Your address does not affect the refund because it is paid by bank transfer, not by post. The payment goes to your bank account regardless of where you live. Update your address with HMRC for future correspondence, but it will not delay your refund.