Check if a letter you've received from HMRC is genuine
Check a list of recent letters from HMRC to help you decide if a letter you've received is a scam.
If your letter is not listed here check other genuine letters sent by HMRC.
Claiming a repayment for Self Assessment
You may get a letter from HMRC asking you to contact us about your repayment claim.
We may ask you to send more information to verify your claim.
You must respond to the letter so we can make any repayments owed to you as soon as possible.
You can call the Self Assessment: general enquiries helpline if you need further support or you’re not sure if the letter is genuine.
Experiences of pension scheme administrators
From 12 September 2022 up to and including 2 December 2022, HMRC will work with research company IFF Research to carry out research with pension scheme administrators.
This research will look at the experiences of pension scheme administrators in providing information to HMRC to fulfil their pensions tax obligations.
You may receive a letter from HMRC and IFF Research inviting you to take part in the research online or by phone.
Taking part is voluntary and if you do so, your answers and any information given, will be:
confidentialandanyinformationyougivewillbeusedforresearchpurposesonly
Letter OCA300 — repayment of student loan deductions
HMRC will contact you by letter to tell you there is a repayment of student loan deductions due.
We will include details of why the repayment is due and the employer you worked with at the time.
This letter will tell you about changes to the way we issue repayments as a result of the coronavirus (COVID-19) situation.
We will ask for personal information to allow us to make a faster repayment.
You can call the Taxes general enquiry helpline to confirm this request is genuine.
Letter VPCF1 — decision to cancel your VAT registration
As part of HMRC’s VAT registration security procedures, we check registrations to test their intention to trade is valid.
If we believe you are not eligible to be registered for VAT, you may receive a letter from us advising of our intention to deregister you.
If you send us information to show you’re eligible for registration within 30 days, you will stay registered. This means you will be able to manage your VAT records with HMRC.
We will let you know what information and documents to provide. If this is not sent within 30 days HMRC will deregister the business from VAT.
National Insurance category letter M — feedback about our Generic Notification Service
From 1 February 2023 to 28 February 2023 HMRC may contact you by letter.
HMRC may invite you to give feedback on the effectiveness of our Generic Notification Service (GNS) messages for the National Insurance categories of your employees.
The letter will be from WMBC Customer Insight Team and will ask you to take part in a 30 minute telephone feedback session.
Taking part is voluntary and all information you give will be:
- confidential
- collected anonymously
- used only for information purposes to help HMRC improve the services it offers
Refund of Income Tax from changes to your Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS) grant
From 11 April 2022 to 31 January 2023,2023 weHMRC may contact you by letter.
HMRC may write to you if you claimed one or more of the first, second or third SEISS grants and later repaid some, or all, of the grant.
You may be entitled to a refund of Income Tax if you reported the original SEISS grant amount on your 2020 to 2021 tax return, and later made a repayment which reduced the amount of Income Tax you needed to pay.
To receive the refund, you’ll need to update your 2020 to 2021 tax return by 31 January 2023. You can do this on GOV.UK.
If you’re not sure whether the letter is genuine or you want further information, you can contact our Self Assessment helpline on 0300 200 3310.
Other letters you should check
You can also to check letters listed in HMRC contact that uses more than one communication method.
Last updated
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Information about National Insurance category letter M — feedback about our Generic Notification Service has been added.
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Information about Self Assessment repayment claims has been added.
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Information about letter VPCF1 — decision to cancel your VAT registration has been added.
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Information on experiences of pension scheme administrators has been added.
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Information on the Cost of Living Payment has been added.
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Information about letter OCA 300 — repayment of Student Loan deductions has been added.
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Information about overpayments of SEISS (Self-Employment Income Support Scheme) grants, research into the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and Income Tax refunds if you claimed the first, second or third SEISS grants have been added.
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Added information on research about the digitisation of Child Benefit.
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Research with businesses on VAT submissions section has been added.
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Information on Research into the impact of cash collection has been added.
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Added 'Independent research ― understanding business customers’ use of their online tax account' section.
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Added details of a letter being sent about regional information on Corporation Tax reliefs research.
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Added details of a letter being sent out about research with mid-size businesses
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Added translation
Update history
2024-08-29 11:36
Information about Self Assessment – overpayment of Class 2 National Insurance contributions has been added.
2024-08-20 15:10
The ‘Letter VPCF1 – decision to cancel your VAT registration’ and ‘Self Assessment – claiming a repayment’ sections have been updated to tell you what to look for if you receive requests for further information.
2024-06-07 12:56
Information about letter CA4361 – National Insurance contributions has been added.
2024-05-21 11:00
Information about letter CH297B – Child Benefit full-time non-advanced education notification has been added.
2024-03-20 11:24
Information about letter IDMS99P – Simple Assessment has been updated. Information about Individuals and the mid-sized businesses they are associated with has been removed.
2024-03-15 11:59
Information about letter IDMS99P – Simple Assessment has been added.
2024-01-23 15:21
Information about research into small business’ behaviours and attitudes following an HMRC enquiry has been added.
2024-01-19 13:50
Information about individuals and the mid-sized businesses they are associated with has been added.
2023-12-20 13:08
Information about possible involvement in tax avoidance schemes has been added.
2023-12-07 11:19
Added translation
2023-12-04 18:06
Information about establishment status for VAT has been updated.
2023-06-20 11:47
Information about individuals and the mid-sized businesses they are associated with has been added.
2023-05-31 11:20
Information about Stamp Duty Land Tax – understanding customers experiences has been added.
2023-05-05 13:10
Information on overdue deferred VAT has been removed.
2023-04-26 12:45
Information about mid-sized business services has been added.
2023-04-05 09:24
Added translation
2023-03-28 10:39
Research into Child Benefit take-up, and businesses’ views of HMRC customer service, have been added.
2023-03-16 12:32
Information added on user research with businesses likely to fall within the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) pillar 2 rules.
2023-02-14 09:00
Information about paying overdue deferred VAT to avoid a penalty has been added.
2023-02-01 10:04
Information about National Insurance category letter M – feedback about our Generic Notification Service has been added.
2022-11-08 10:22
Information about Self Assessment repayment claims has been added.
2022-10-14 15:05
Information about letter VPCF1 – decision to cancel your VAT registration has been added.
2022-09-06 12:26
Information on experiences of pension scheme administrators has been added.
2022-08-12 09:10
Information on the Cost of Living Payment has been added.
2022-05-04 15:12
Information about letter OCA 300 – repayment of Student Loan deductions has been added.
2022-04-12 12:21
Information about overpayments of SEISS (Self-Employment Income Support Scheme) grants, research into the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and Income Tax refunds if you claimed the first, second or third SEISS grants have been added.
2022-02-25 16:45
Added information on research about the digitisation of Child Benefit.