UTR numbers no longer available by phone, says HMRC

Sara White, Editor, Business & Accountancy Daily

HMRC has stopped giving taxpayers their unique taxpayer reference numbers over the phone, saying they will only be available via online accounts or post

From 6 May, HMRC will no longer confirm a taxpayer’s unique taxpayer reference (UTR) number over the phone, either to taxpayers themselves, or to authorised agents calling on behalf of their clients. 

The move is designed to improve HMRC’s security, giving taxpayers reassurance that their number is protected and will not be given out to the wrong person by call centre staff.

HMRC wrote to the professional tax bodies advising them of the change, but has not yet updated guidance online for the public to say phone support will no longer be provided.

The reason for the change is that ‘these restrictions as part of efforts to keep taxpayer data secure’. 

An HMRC spokesperson said: ‘We’ve made this change to help keep people’s data secure. Customers still can find their Unique Taxpayer Reference in their online account and on previous self assessment letters. We can also send new letters to customers who call us once we have verified their identity.’

All taxpayers need a unique taxpayer reference, which is a 10-digit number, to complete self assessment so the numbers are vital when interacting with the tax office. It takes 15 days from registration to receipt of the number, which is sent out by post.

In future, UTR numbers will only be available via the HMRC app or the individual taxpayer’s online personal tax account with HMRC. Anyone who uses these services will be familiar with the layout and the unique taxpayer reference is hard to miss.

For agents and accountants, HMRC confirmed that agents that call on behalf of their client will also be advised of where the client’s UTR can be found. If it is not possible to retrieve the UTR from those sources, then HMRC will issue a letter direct to the agent’s client. The letter can take up to two weeks to arrive. 

They are also included on previous tax returns and other documents from HMRC, such as notices to file a return or payment reminders.

Taxpayers who are unable to access digital services will have to answer some security questions in order for HMRC to confirm their unique taxpayer reference by post. 

HMRC will publish an article about these changes in the next Agent Update on 15 May.

However, HMRC has not updated the general gov.uk guidance as yet to make it clear that helpline staff will no longer provide UTR numbers over the phone, or how taxpayers will be able to chase up a UTR if they have applied and not received it within 15-day timeframe.