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 HMRC contact that uses more than one communication method.
Businesses’ experience of HMRC customer service
From 17 April 2023 up to and including 12 May 2023 HMRC may contact you by letter.
HMRC will work with Kantar Public to carry out research into businesses’ views of HMRC. The purpose of the research is to help improve service quality.
You may get a letter from HMRC inviting you to take part in this research online.
Information you provide will only be used for research purposes. We will not ask you for any financial information or details of your tax affairs. All answers will be confidential.
Taking part is voluntary and if you do not wish to take part, you do not need to do anything.
Child benefit take-up research
From 17 April 2023 up to and including 3 July 2023 BMG Research may contact you by letter.
HMRC is working with independent research agency BMG Research, to conduct research into the take-up of Child Benefit. The research aims to:
- understand why Child Benefit take-up rates are declining, and why eligible customers may not be claiming
- explore how to address any barriers to applying for Child Benefit
You may get a letter from BMG Research inviting you to complete an online survey.
Taking part is voluntary and if you do so, your answers will be:
- confidential
- used for research purposes only
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.
Mid-sized business services
From 24 April 2023 up to and including 19 May 2023 HMRC may contact you by letter.
HMRC is working with Kantar Public to carry out research with mid-sized businesses. The purpose of the research is to help us better tailor our services to meet your needs.
You may get a letter from HMRC inviting you to take part in this online research.
We will not ask you for any financial information or details of your tax affairs.
Taking part is voluntary and if you do so, your answers will be:
- confidential
- used for research purposes only
OECD Pillar 2 user research with mid-sized businesses
From 13 February 2023 up to 30 April 2023 HMRC may contact you by letter.
If you’re an organisation likely to fall within the scope of Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Pillar 2, you may get a letter from HMRC inviting you to take part in research. Taking part is voluntary and interviews will take place in March and April 2023.
We’ll ask how your organisation files tax returns and incorporates new tax regimes. We will not ask you to disclose any sensitive information.
If you agree to take part, information you provide will be used in the development of OECD Pillar 2 digital services.
Overdue deferred VAT
From 14 February 2023 up to and including 31 March 2023 HMRC may contact you by letter.
You may get a letter from HMRC asking you to pay your deferred VAT bill from the VAT payment period 20 March 2020 to 30 June 2020.
If you do not pay or contact us within 30 days of the date of the letter, we may charge you a penalty.
More information about how to pay your VAT bill is available.
Self Assessment — claiming a repayment
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.
Other letters you should check
You can also to check letters listed in HMRC contact that uses more than one communication method.
Last updated 5
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Information on overdue deferred VAT has been removed.
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Information about mid-sized business services has been added.
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Added translation
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Research into Child Benefit take-up, and businesses' views of HMRC customer service, have been added.
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Information added on user research with businesses likely to fall within the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) pillar 2 rules.
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Information about paying overdue deferred VAT to avoid a penalty has been added.
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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