Country file · GB
Potential · noneUnited Kingdom: is a withholding-tax claim worth filing?
Honest answer: usually, no. This country levies no withholding tax on ordinary dividends — so for most investors there is nothing to recover. The genuine exceptions, and the false alarms, are covered below.
No win, no fee · Pricing 100% public · FR / EN
Example for €10,000 of gross dividends, French tax resident: the entry is already settled — nothing to claim in the standard case. Indicative amounts — every claim is verified before filing.
Technical file
The numbers that matter
Both rates, the gap, the form and the time you have left: everything that decides whether a claim is worth opening.
0%
Statutory rate
withheld from non-residents by default
0%
Treaty rate
for a French resident
0 pts
Recoverable gap
nothing to claim in the standard case
4 years
Statute of limitations
from the end of the year of payment
Your deadline to act
To be confirmed4 years
4 years as a general rule for overpayments, counted by UK tax year (which ends on 5 April, not 31 December).
Compute my exact deadline →The procedure in practice
- Form
- —
- Competent authority
- HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC)
- Online filing
- No
- Relief at source
- Yes
Relief at source prevents the over-withholding before it exists: the correct rate is applied at payment time. See the relief-at-source service →
Data reviewed on 15 June 2026 · Indicative amounts — every claim is verified before filing.
Transparency
Why we won't sell you this claim
No withholding tax is levied on ordinary dividends: a recovery claim would simply have no object, and nobody should charge you to find that out. If a deduction does show up on your statement, it points to a specific situation (security type, actual distributing jurisdiction) that deserves a look — not a standard claim.
Specifics
What you should know about this country
- The UK levies no withholding tax on ordinary dividends: if your broker withheld something on a standard UK share, that is an anomaly worth examining, not a given.
- Notable exception: REIT Property Income Distributions bear 20%, often reducible to 15% by treaty.
- Watch dual-listed securities too: a 'UK' stock may actually distribute from another jurisdiction.
Claim documents
The documents required
What we gather with you. Most of these can be requested online or produced from your brokerage statements.
- No recovery file is needed for ordinary dividends: there is nothing to recover
- For REIT distributions (PIDs): evidence of the 20% withholding and a certificate of residence
Resources
Go further
- Best in class10 min read
Which countries offer the best recovery potential for a French resident?
Ireland, Switzerland and Sweden on top — the UK and the Netherlands at zero, and we say so. All 11 countries ranked by recoverable gap for an individual French resident, with each one's traps.
- Best in class9 min read
Statute of limitations: how long you have to claim, ranked by country
From Canada (only 2 years) to Austria, Sweden and Japan (5 years): the full ranking of claim deadlines — with both counting rules, the 31 December cliff, and the filing order that follows.
Unsure about your own case?
The simulator will give you the same honest answer as this page — and check the other countries in your portfolio while it's at it.
No win, no fee · Pricing 100% public · FR / EN