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You must not give your log in credentials to your agent or anyone else.
If you’re an agent, you must not use your client’s credentials to log into any account. Find out how to get authorised for HMRC online services for agents.
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How to authorise your agent to deal with certain taxes on your behalf
You can use thethese steps onin thisyour pagebusiness tax account to authorise an agent to act on your behalf for the following tax services:
- Making Tax Digital for VAT
- Manage a Capital Gains Tax on UK Property account
- Making Tax Digital for Income Tax
- Managing a trust or estate
- Manage Plastic Packaging Tax
For all other taxes,tax talkservices, to your agent about how they can get authorised.
Your agent may ask you to authorise them in your business tax account. They will givestart you information about how to do this. Find out how you can authorise your agent through your business tax account.
If you want a friend or family member to manage your tax, they must use the Trustedauthorisation Helper service.process.
If your business uses members of staff to manage your business tax affairs, they cannot be authorised as a tax agent, they should use your business’s online tax account
How to authorise your agent to deal with certain taxes on your behalf
1. Sign up to each tax service you want the agent to deal with
You’ll need a Government Gateway user ID to do this. If you do not have one, you can get one when you sign up to a tax service.
Sign up for:
- Making Tax Digital for VAT
- Manage a Capital Gains Tax on UK Property account
- Making Tax Digital for Income Tax
- Manage a trust or estate
- Manage Plastic Packaging Tax
Other ways to sign up
Your agent can also sign you up to Making Tax Digital for Income Tax but you must have already submitted a Self Assessment tax return or signed up to Self Assessment.
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Even if your agent signedor youanyone upelse. forIf ayou’re taxan service,agent you must makenot sureuse ityour hasclient’s beenGovernment addedGateway ID to log into any account.
If you want them to manage a Capital Gains Tax on UK Property account, you must also tell them the account or reference number.
3. Respond to the authorisation request from your agent
Your agent will send you an email with a link. Select the linklink, and sign in with the Government Gateway user ID you use for the tax service you need to authorise your agent for. You may have more than one so make sure you use the correct ID. You may be asked to verify your identity before you can provide your authorisation to your chosen agent.
The link will expire after 21 days. If you have not responded by then, you’ll need to ask your agent to send another link.
You may be asked to verify your identity before you can give authorisation to your agent.
You must keep the email that your agent sends you as you may need to use this link if you decide to remove your agent.
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You canneed manageto andspeak removeto your agent’sagent who can explain the process to give them authorisation infor:
SelfyourAssessmentbusinessfortaxAgentsCorporationaccount.TaxforAgentsPAYEforAgents―forPAYEforemployersandtheConstructionIndustrySchemeVATforAgentsVATEURefundsforAgentsVATECSalesListandReverseChargeSalesListVATMiniOneStopShopforAgentsNotificationofVehicleArrivalsMachineGamesDutyforAgentsGamblingTaxforAgents
Your agent can then follow the steps to authorise an agent to deal with HMRC.
Change or remove your agent’s authorisation status
Find out more information on how to change or remove agent authorisation.
Last updated 6
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Guidance about how to authorise an agent using your business tax account has been moved to a new dedicated guidance page.
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Information about how to authorise an agent to manage Plastic Packaging Tax has been added.
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How to authorise an agent for all other tax services section added.
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The 'How to authorise an agent' section has been updated, as agents can now create an authorisation request for a client if they have registered for Self Assessment.
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First published.