Where to find your HMRC app and personal tax account
In your personal tax account
- Go to the personal tax account page on GOV.UK and sign in with your Government Gateway or GOV.UK One Login details. If you don't have any, you can create them.
- If asked, prove your identity: this normally involves photo ID such as a passport or driving licence.
- From the account you can check your tax code and Income Tax estimate, manage Self Assessment, claim a refund, check Child Benefit and State Pension, and see your income from work and tax paid for the previous 5 years.
In the HMRC app
- Download the HMRC app for iOS or Android.
- Sign in with your HMRC online services details, or create them in the app. After that you can use a 6-digit PIN, fingerprint or face recognition.
- The app shows your tax code, National Insurance number, UTR, employment history, Annual Tax Summary, gaps in your NI record and a State Pension summary.
What it looks like
A signed-in GOV.UK account, or the HMRC app on a phone, with sections for Income Tax, Self Assessment, National Insurance, State Pension, benefits and your personal details.
If you've lost it
- Lost your sign-in details? Recover your user ID or reset your password from the HMRC sign-in screen.
- If you're locked out after too many attempts, the account unlocks after 2 hours.
- If you can't create a personal tax account, contact HMRC for advice.
What each one is for
Your personal tax account is HMRC's online account for individuals. It covers your tax code and Income Tax estimate, Self Assessment returns, tax refunds, Child Benefit, State Pension, Marriage Allowance, changes of name or address, your National Insurance number and UTR, and Simple Assessment bills.
The HMRC app covers much of the same ground on your phone. It can also save your National Insurance number to a digital wallet, set payment reminders, show gaps in your NI record and let you pay to fill them.
Signing in and proving who you are
Both use the details you use for HMRC online services: a Government Gateway user ID or GOV.UK One Login. You'll be told when you sign in if you need to prove your identity, which normally involves photo ID like a passport or driving licence.
The 'Check your Income Tax for the current year' service, reached through the account or the app, isn't available if Self Assessment is the only way you pay Income Tax.
Common things people look for
Your National Insurance number, with a downloadable letter confirming it. Your UTR, if you're registered for Self Assessment. Your pay and tax from past jobs, which stand in for a lost P45 or P60. Your tax code, and whether it has changed. A refund from a P800 tax calculation, if you have a UK bank account.
Related
What else will you need?
- Where to find itFind your Gateway user IDA Government Gateway user ID is up to 12 characters long and, with a password, signs you in to HMRC online services such as your personal tax account and Self Assessment.
- Where to find itFind your NI numberYour National Insurance number is made up of 2 letters, 6 numbers and a final letter.
- Where to find itFind your UTRYour Unique Taxpayer Reference (UTR) is a 10-digit number HMRC gives you when you register for Self Assessment or set up a limited company.
- Where to find itCheck your NI recordYour National Insurance record shows what you've paid up to the start of the current tax year, any credits you've received, and whether gaps mean some years don't count as qualifying years for the State Pension.
- Where to find itYour P800 tax calculationA P800 is HMRC's tax calculation letter.
Rather we did it?
Countify can handle this for you, for a fixed fee agreed upfront.
Questions
Frequently asked questions.
Is the HMRC app the same as the personal tax account?
They use the same sign-in details and show much of the same information. The account is on GOV.UK; the app runs on iOS and Android and adds things like PIN or fingerprint sign-in and saving your NI number to a wallet.
Why does HMRC want photo ID?
You'll be told when you sign in if you need to prove your identity. It normally involves photo ID such as a passport or driving licence, to keep your details safe.
How many years of pay and tax can I see?
Your income from work and the Income Tax you paid over the previous 5 years.
Can I use it if I only pay tax through Self Assessment?
Yes, for Self Assessment and your other details. The 'Check your Income Tax for the current year' service isn't available if Self Assessment is the only way you pay Income Tax.
Checked against GOV.UK on · Reviewed by Kamran Ishaq FCCA, Founder & CEO, on .
Sources: Personal tax account: sign in or set up (opens in a new tab) (HM Revenue & Customs); Download the HMRC app (opens in a new tab) (HM Revenue & Customs); HMRC online services: sign in or set up an account (opens in a new tab) (HM Revenue & Customs); Get help with signing in to HMRC online services (opens in a new tab) (HM Revenue & Customs); Check your Income Tax for the current year (opens in a new tab) (HM Revenue & Customs).
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