PAYE Tax Refund Calculator
Enter your income and tax paid to instantly estimate how much Revenue owes you. Covers 2022 to 2026 — with credits for medical expenses, rent, WFH and more.
2026 rates verified
Step 1: Tax Year & Marital Status
You can backdate claims 4 years through Revenue myAccount.
Step 2: Income & Tax Paid
Your total gross pay before deductions
From your P60, payslip or Revenue myAccount
Why Might You Be Owed a Refund?
- 💼You changed jobs and were put on emergency tax
- 🏥You had medical expenses but never claimed them
- 🏠You paid rent but did not claim the Rent Tax Credit
- 💻You worked from home but never claimed e-worker relief
- 💰You made pension AVC contributions during the year
- 📋Your occupation has flat rate expenses you did not know about
- 👰You got married and did not update your tax credits
You can claim for the current tax year and the 4 previous years. For 2026, you can backdate to 2022.
How to Claim Your Refund from Revenue
- 1
Go to revenue.ie and log in to myAccount (or register if you have not already)
- 2
Select "Manage your tax" then "Review your tax" for the relevant year
- 3
Add any missing credits — medical expenses, rent credit, WFH, flat rate expenses
- 4
Click "Request a review" — Revenue will recalculate your liability
- 5
If a refund is due, it will be paid to your bank account within 5 working days
Want to see your full take-home pay after all deductions?
Use the Full PAYE Tax Calculator
Full Tax Calculator →This calculator provides estimates only and does not constitute professional tax advice. Figures are based on Revenue.ie guidelines for the selected tax year. Always consult a qualified tax advisor for advice specific to your situation.
The Four-Year Rule, Explained
Revenue allows PAYE taxpayers to claim a refund, or claim credits they missed, for the four tax years before the current one. In 2026 that means 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025 are all still open. Each year drops out of reach on 31 December, four years after it ends, so 2022 claims must be made by 31 December 2026, with no extensions.
This is worth checking even if you think your tax was handled correctly at the time, because most refunds come from things that simply were not claimed rather than mistakes by an employer or Revenue.
What Commonly Triggers a Refund
A handful of situations account for most PAYE refunds. Emergency tax is the biggest one: starting a new job before your employer has your tax details from Revenue means you can be taxed at a much higher rate for the first weeks or months, which is refundable once your correct tax credits are applied. Mid-year job changes can leave tax credits and rate bands split unevenly between employers, producing an overpayment that only shows up when the year is reviewed as a whole.
The other major source is unclaimed credits and reliefs: the Rent Tax Credit, Work From Home relief, and medical or dental expenses are the ones most commonly left unclaimed, often because people do not realise the credit applies to them or simply forget to submit it each year.
Worked Example: A Forgotten 2024 Rent Credit
Someone who rented for all of 2024 and paid enough tax to absorb it, but never submitted a claim for the Rent Tax Credit, has left €1,000 unclaimed for that year alone. Because 2024 is still within the four-year window, that credit can still be claimed today, on top of any other unclaimed reliefs from the same year, such as medical expenses or Work From Home relief.
For the exact step-by-step process to claim the Rent Tax Credit on myAccount, including how far you can backdate it, see our myAccount rent credit guide, or our wider guide on the 2022 refund deadline.
Frequently Asked Questions
How far back can I claim a tax refund in Ireland?
Revenue's four-year rule lets you claim tax back for the four tax years preceding the current one. In 2026, that means you can still claim for 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025. Once a year passes that four-year window, on 31 December, the claim is lost for good.
What commonly triggers a tax refund?
The most common causes are emergency tax when starting a new job before a tax certificate is issued, unclaimed credits such as the Rent Tax Credit, Work From Home relief or medical expenses, and changing jobs partway through the year, which can leave tax credits and rate bands unevenly applied across employers.
How do I actually claim a refund from Revenue?
PAYE workers claim through Revenue myAccount, under PAYE Services, by reviewing the relevant tax year and adding any credits or reliefs you have not already claimed. There is no charge to claim directly through Revenue.
Do I need to pay someone to claim my refund?
No. PAYE workers can claim directly and for free through Revenue myAccount. Refund agencies carry out the same steps on your behalf but typically keep a fee or a percentage of whatever is refunded.
Can I get a refund if I did not pay much tax?
A refund can only return income tax or USC you actually paid in that year. If your existing credits already reduced your tax bill to zero, claiming additional credits for that year will not produce a cash refund, since there is nothing left to refund.
What if Revenue says I owe tax instead of a refund?
It happens. If a review shows an underpayment, you can pay it directly through myAccount, or Revenue will collect the balance interest-free by reducing your tax credits over future years, usually up to four years.