Refund agents (RIFT, Tax Returned) take 28–36% of your refund for something you can do yourself on gov.uk for free in 90 minutes. HMRC returns the same amount — the difference only goes to the middleman. The contract lasts 4 years: all refunds during that period also have the fee taken out. There is no reason to pay an agent if you don't have a complicated tax situation.
RIFT and Tax Returned do nothing that you cannot do yourself on gov.uk in 90 minutes. HMRC returns the same amount. The difference is only how much the middleman takes for himself.
HMRC возвращает одну и ту же сумму вне зависимости от посредника. Разница — только сколько посредник возьмёт себе.
Let's say HMRC owes you exactly £3,000. Here is what ends up in your account at the end of the month.
Sources: rift.co.uk/our-fees · taxreturned.co.uk/how-it-works · ICAEW "typical engagement letter" (£250–£400 for SA + refund claim). Checked 11 May 2026.
This is not "fraud" in the legal sense — everything is legal. It is marketing aimed at people who are more afraid of the gov.uk interface than they are of losing £1,000.
The filing is indeed free — but a fee is taken from the refund. The word "free" refers to the step, not the result.
Sounds like insurance. In reality — if the refund is £0, you pay nothing (as it should be). But if the refund is large, the fee is proportionally large.
By signing for one refund, you give the right to 4 years of SA filings. Future refunds also lose 30% — even if you didn't ask for anything that year.
Advertising on construction sites, in migrant WhatsApp chats, at bus stops. The audience — people who don't trust their English and are afraid of gov.uk.
"I signed a paper about a refund of £4,200. A month later I got £2,688. When I called to ask — they explained that 36% is a normal price for the service."
— anonymous CIS subcontractor, Leicester · 2025If you have one job, your English is at B1 level, and you can fill in a form on a website — that is enough. There is no magic in their "process".
This is not Self Assessment. If you have a simple PAYE refund — there is a separate form, no declaration needed.
If you have a complicated situation (multiple employers at the same time, CIS + PAYE mix, foreign income, company director) — a chartered accountant with a fixed price really can save you time. But that is an accountant for £300, not a refund agent for 36%.
Any middleman who charges a percentage of the refund has a conflict of interest. Anyone who charges a fixed price is a normal professional. That is the only important difference.