How it works
How to apply for your tax refund
Have you been in a temporary posting for two years or less? If so, you may be entitled to claim an army tax rebate for any work-related expenses during your posting that haven’t been repaid by your employer. You can claim a refund for each year you were in a temporary posting during the past four years.
Expenses on which you can claim tax rebates for MOD personnel in temporary postings include:
- Food and drink
- Travel, such as mileage or public transport costs
- Mess dress costs, such as dry cleaning
Refund claims are processed for each tax year rather than calendar year. The tax year starts on 6 April every year and ends on 5 April the following year. For example, 6 April 2019 to 5 April 2020.
Use the ARC Military Tax Refund Calculator for an instant estimate amount you can claim on your army tax rebate.
Am I eligible for a tax refund?
If you have been in a temporary posting at any time over the last four years, you are probably entitled to a refund. A temporary posting means for a period of two years or less.
Anyone working in any sector of the armed forces can claim, as long as they have completed Phase One training.
What information do I need to claim military tax rebate?
As well as filling in our claim form, ARC will need some paperwork from you to be able to process your army tax rebate. To start the ball rolling, we will need proof of identity and proof of address from you. This is so ARC can verify your identity and perform our essential anti money laundering checks. You’ll need to provide:
- One form of proof of identification (e.g. passport/driver’s licence)
- AND one form of proof of address (e.g. driver’s licence/utility bill dated within the last three months)
Please note, you cannot use one document, such as a driver’s licence, for proof of both address and identification.
For each tax year you would like to claim a refund, ARC will need:
- The last payslip you received in that tax year (ending on 5 April)
- OR a copy of your P60/P45.
Scanned digital copies of these can be sent in to ARC via email along with your claim form.
Tax refund Calculator
How will my refund claim be processed?
ARC will issue you a letter of Engagement to formally appoint us as your tax refund accountant and allow us to take your claim to HMRC.
The good news is that once we have received everything we need in relation to your claim, you can sit back and let ARC do the heavy lifting. We will submit it to HMRC as soon as we have received all the information we require from you. A tax refund claim usually takes 8-12 weeks to be processed by HMRC. If you want your money sooner, ARC can fast track your refund claim so it takes 4-8 weeks. There is an additional fee for out fast track service – more information of this can be found on the pricing page