Independent VAT repayment guide

What to do if a VAT repayment is delayed

A practical checklist based on current GOV.UK guidance for checking and following up a delayed UK VAT repayment.

1. Check the official timeframe

GOV.UK says repayments are usually made within 30 days of HMRC receiving the VAT Return. Checks can make the process take longer.

2. Check your business tax account

Use your business tax account to check the progress of the repayment. This community tracker cannot access HMRC systems, view your status or update a claim.

3. Look for a request from HMRC

HMRC may contact you when it needs more information to check a return. Respond through the official channel shown in the correspondence and avoid sharing correspondence, tax identifiers or case details on this site.

4. Follow up through HMRC

GOV.UK says that if your account has not been updated and HMRC has not contacted you about the repayment within 30 days, you can contact HMRC. Use the contact route linked from the official VAT repayments guide.

5. Check the current interest guidance

GOV.UK states that repayment interest may be due when HMRC is late. The rules depend on the circumstances and can change, so use the current official guidance or professional advice rather than relying on a community waiting-time figure.

Keep the two sources separate

HMRC and GOV.UK are the sources for your individual case and official rules. This site only publishes aggregate experiences reported by users, and its recently launched dataset is currently limited.