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Guide: UK Student Tax Exemptions

Are you working while a student?

If you are working as a student you may be due a tax exemption. If you don’t find an answer to your question below, please send us an E-mail

I am a full time student in the UK. Can I claim a tax exemption?
Almost all working students can claim a tax exemption. Most students only work part time or in the summer/ Christmas holidays and as a result they are exempt from paying any tax if they earn below the annual tax free allowance.

Is all my income student tax exempt?
If you earn below the tax free allowance (£6,475 in the 2009/2010 tax year) then you are exempt from paying any tax on your income. If your employer has taken tax from your wages you will be able to claim it all back. If you earn above the tax free allowance, you may still be due a tax refund. Use our tax rebate to check.

How can I calculate my student tax rebate?
Once you finish working, your employer should give you a P45. Alternatively in April, at the end of the tax year, you will be given a P60. Using these documents you can calculate your tax refund by putting the total income and tax figures into the tax refund calculator

I was not given a P45/P60 from my employer. Can I still claim a tax rebate?
Yes. Request a ’statement of earnings’ from your current or previous employer. They are required by law to provide you with this document, which is a sufficient replacement for a lost P60 or P45 for the Inland Revenue.

I am a foreign student. Can I claim an International tax exemption from the Inland Revenue?
Yes – both international students and students from the UK are able to claim a tax rebate if they earn less than the tax free allowance of £6,475 in the 2009/2010 tax year.

I finished studying just under 2 years ago. Have I missed my chance to make a tax rebate claim?
No. There is a 6 year deadline, so if you worked as a student anytime in the last 6 years, there is a good chance that you can make a claim for any tax that you paid while working.

How do I claim my UK student exemption?
There are two ways to make a claim. You can make a claim yourself or you can use a tax rebate agent such as TaxFix. If you are claiming yourself, you will need:

  • Any P45/P60’s
  • A P91 – Employment History form
  • P85/P86 - Leaving/Entering the UK forms
  • Covering Letter
  • Form P38(S) - Inland Revenue Student Tax Exemption Form

Once you have all the applicable documents listed above, send them to your local tax office. If you do not want to make the claim yourself, a tax refund agent will obtain all the information required on your behalf and submit your claim to the Inland Revenue.

Can I claim a National Insurance rebate if I am a student?
If you are a student resident in the UK you can claim a National insurance rebate.



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Anonymous - Saturday, May 22nd, 2010

Hello, my question is if i have a second job how much tax i have to pay?

thanks

TaxFix - Sunday, May 23rd, 2010

Anonymous: If you get a second job you will normally be put on an emergency tax code (BR). The amount of tax you need to pay will depend on how much you earn in the tax year in total for both jobs. Often when you work two jobs you can over pay tax, and so you should check at the end of the tax year when you get your P60’s.

Anonymous - Wednesday, June 9th, 2010

can you work full time while in receipt of a full time student grant?

TaxFix - Wednesday, June 9th, 2010

Anonymous: It would depend on the rules of the grant.

Freond - Saturday, June 19th, 2010

I am a non-EU overseas student. I have a work placement in my University as part of my 4 years degree at the same University. I also have to pay tuition fee (international student rate) whilst I am on my work placement.

Can it be classified as scholarship, and can it be be exempt from Income Tax and National Insurance?

TaxFix - Monday, June 21st, 2010

Freond: How much do you earn a year? If it is below £6,475 you can claim back all your tax. If you earn more you can still possibly claim a tax refund.

Mich - Tuesday, July 20th, 2010

Hi, I’m an international student without NI number. (as I have never worked in UK)
I opened up savings account and am wondering how to claim tax back on my interest?
In the forms that I can download, it needs NI number which I do not have.
It will be great if you can help!

TaxFix - Wednesday, July 21st, 2010

Mich: You can apply for a national insurance number at your local job centre.

jkwondo - Wednesday, July 21st, 2010

i am a student, so therfore, i should be able to calim NI insurance and tax back. however, this does not seem to be the case. can i not claim everything back if i have been working part time during univeristy semesters and full times during hollidays. as i have been told even if it is over £6000 i can cliam some tax back. also I have different tax codes on each of my statemen of earnings forms. ime very confused

TaxFix - Thursday, July 22nd, 2010

jkwondo: It does not matter if you are a student, what matters is the amount that you earn. Most students do not earn above the tax free allowance and so can therefore claim back all tax. You can use our tax rebate calculator to see if you are due a tax rebate.

wal - Thursday, August 19th, 2010

hi.i am student in uk and still studying and doing part time work for last two years and didn’t claim any tax.
1)When i will claim back my all tax while leaving this country ?
2)while studying in here can i claim tax every year?

TaxFix - Thursday, August 19th, 2010

wal: When you leave the UK you can claim a tax refund. You can can claim now for previous tax years too. You can apply here.

Anonymous - Tuesday, August 24th, 2010

i am an international student on work placement year while on sandwich degree. Can i do additional job while doing work placement?

TaxFix - Tuesday, August 24th, 2010

Anonymous: You will need to check the stipulations of your visa. If you are able to work you can claim a tax rebate when you leave the UK.

Student 16 - Tuesday, August 24th, 2010

I am a full time sixth former. I have been offered a job for 4 hours a week which runs outside and inside schhol holidays. I will only get £2,000 per year. Can I use form P38 to be exempt from tax?

TaxFix - Wednesday, August 25th, 2010

Student 16: Yes, if you earn under the tax free allowance (currently £6,475) you should not be paying any tax. Send your P38 to your local tax office and remember to claim back a refund for any overpayment.

Student 21 - Tuesday, August 31st, 2010

I worked full time as part of a sandwich course at university and earned over the taxable allowance. The following year while back at university I worked part time and did not exceed my taxable allowance for that year. Can I claim back on the tax I paid during my work experience?

TaxFix - Wednesday, September 1st, 2010

Student 21: Even though you earned over the tax free allowance you may still be due a tax refund in that year. If you earned below the tax free allowance you will be able to claim back all the tax from that year. You can claim your tax refund by applying here.