ICAEW’s Tax Faculty is urging individual taxpayers to download HMRC’s app. The app, which can be downloaded at the App Store or Google Play, is growing in popularity and was opened over 80 million times in 2023. Once you have signed in for the first time using your Government Gateway credentials, you can access information and services by using a six-digit PIN, your fingerprint or facial recognition. 

Using the app is a quick and easy way to: 

1. retrieve tax information. This includes your self assessment reference number, your national insurance number (which you can store in your digital wallet) and your employment income for the current and five previous tax years;
2. stay up to date with tax payments and obligations. By using the app you can see how much self assessment tax you owe, make a payment using open banking, claim a refund and calculate your estimated take-home pay; 
3. communicate with HMRC. If you have opted to communicate with HMRC digitally, many letters and messages from HMRC can be accessed in the app. You can use the app to check the progress of forms you have submitted. Additionally, you can update your details with HMRC, including changing your name and address;
4. manage child benefit and view your national insurance history and state pension forecast. The app lets you check your national insurance history to identify any gaps and view your state pension forecast. A relatively new service allows you to claim and report changes to your child benefit (including changing your bank details);  and
5. improve HMRC’s digital services. Only by engaging with the app can we hope to improve it. You can either leave feedback on the app, or you can send your comments to ICAEW’s Tax Faculty at caroline.miskin@icaew.com.  

Caroline Miskin, Senior Technical Manager, ICAEW Tax Faculty said: “There has been a lot of coverage of the problems with HMRC service performance. If, where they can, taxpayers were to use the app and online services that would go a long way towards improving the situation. It would allow HMRC to focus its contact centre resources on complex cases and situations where there is no online service or it doesn’t work well. HMRC does acknowledge the gaps in online services for agents and is primarily trying to address contact from individuals. HMRC estimates that it received three million calls last year on queries that could have been dealt with using the HMRC app or online services. The app is easier to navigate than the online tax account and HMRC has plans to improve the app and add new services in the next year. It is well worthwhile checking before making that phone call and joining a queue.”  

For further information on downloading and using the app, see GOV.UK. 

For help, email: hmrcappsupport@hmrc.gov.uk.

A YouTube video is also available.