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
Frequently asked
Your questions about this country
How long do I have to reclaim the withholding tax on my United Kingdom dividends?
4 years, from the end of the calendar year in which the dividend was paid. This figure is worth reconfirming at filing time: counting rules differ from one administration to another.
Which form do I need for United Kingdom, and who do I file it with?
Form —, filed with HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC). This administration has no e-filing option for this type of claim: filing is done by post.
Can I avoid this withholding at payment time, rather than reclaiming it afterwards?
The question barely applies here: with no gap between the withheld rate and the treaty rate, there is nothing to correct at payment time — this country's relief-at-source option mostly serves the specific exceptions covered above, not the standard case.
Is it worth filing a claim for United Kingdom?
No: United Kingdom levies no withholding on ordinary dividends, so there is nothing to file in the standard case. A provider charging you anything on this country is charging you for thin air.
Is United Kingdom one of the countries with the most to recover?
No: with a zero gap, United Kingdom is one of the countries where there is nothing to recover in the standard case — see the full comparison of all 19 covered countries.
Resources
Go further
- Best in class12 min read
Which countries offer the best recovery potential for a French resident?
Finland, Ireland and Switzerland on top — the UK, the Netherlands and France at zero, and we say so. All 19 countries ranked by recoverable gap for an individual French resident, with each one's traps.
- Best in class7 min read
The right refund form, country by country: the reference table
Modelo 210, Form 83, NR7-R, 276 Div.-Aut., 5000/5001… The form, the authority, the window and the filing channel for all 19 covered countries — all free from the administrations, table updated with our country database.
- Best in class9 min read
Statute of limitations: how long you have to claim, ranked by country
From Canada and Portugal (only 2 years) to Austria, Sweden, Japan and Norway (5 years): claim deadlines ranked across all 19 covered countries — with both counting rules, the 31 December cliff, and the filing order that follows.
- Problems & risks8 min read
The countries where there is nothing to recover (and why we tell you)
The UK, the Netherlands, France seen from abroad, US dividends under a valid W-8BEN, ETFs: the honest list of the zeros — from a provider paid on success only, with no interest in hiding them.
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