Check if an email you've received from HMRC is genuine

Annual Tax Summary

The HMRC Self Assessment team are sending email alerts to some customers to say that their Annual Tax Summary is available to view. The emails have the title ‘Your Annual Tax Summary is ready’.

The emails also explain what is in the annual summary and will never ask you for personal or financial information.

Businesses selling goods through online marketplaces in the UK

HMRC is contacting businesses who sell goods to customers in the UK through online marketplaces. The emails refer to VAT obligations in the UK. The first email will explain why HMRC is contacting you and ask you to get in touch.

Custom Intermediaries newsletter

From September 2021, HMRC will send a newsletter every 6 weeks by email to the intermediary sector for example, freight forwarders, customs brokers, and fast parcel operators. The emails will give the latest news affecting the intermediary sector.

These emails will never ask you for any personal or financial information.

Employer bulletins

HMRC sends informational bulletins several times a year to employers who have registered to get them. These emails never ask you for personal or financial information.

Emails issued by HMRC:

• may have the title ‘Important information for employers’
• have links to HMRC pages on the GOV.UK website, including advice about online security

Future of Gift Aid

HMRC is contacting charities by email to invite them to take part in research about the future of Gift Aid.

Participation is entirely voluntary. Charities that participate will be asked to:

• carry out some short activities
• attend a remote or in-person 1 hour interview
• host a 1 hour visit to the charity’s office, if possible, so that researchers can learn a bit more about their work in relation to donations

The email will not ask for any personal or financial information. Any information you give will be:

• confidential
• used for research purposes only

Help and support

HMRC sends emails to customers to offer help and support. The emails will sometimes have links to online digital products such as webinars, HMRC’s YouTube videos or online guides.

These emails will never ask you for personal or financial information.

Helping to improve the GOV.UK website

Customers who sign up to help improve GOV.UK to make government services better will get emails from HMRC.

The first email will have a link which you should follow to complete the signing up process.

Once you have signed up, a second email will be sent that has a link to a research blog. You may then get other emails that have links to short surveys about research.

These emails will never ask you for personal or financial information. They will also have a link to unsubscribe from future emails.

Import and export customs declaration research with businesses

HMRC will be working with People for Research, an independent research agency, to:

• find out the views of businesses who import and export goods to and from the UK
• understand businesses’ arrangements for making customs declarations now and in the future

You may get an email from People for Research inviting you to either take part in:

• a research focus group
• an interview with researchers from HMRC

We encourage you to take part and help improve how HMRC supports and engages with businesses.

If you do, your personal details will be held securely at all times in line with data protection law. They will not be shared outside of the research team without your explicit consent.

Import and export data trade statistics

HMRC’s Trade Statistics Unit regularly sends emails to business customers about import and export statistical data, and the related services accessed from HMRC’s trade statistics website.

These have:

• business alerts
• service updates
• deadline reminders
• data quality reviews
• survey requests

These emails may have links to more information, educational or survey content.

They will not ask for any personal, payment or tax related information.

List of customs agents and fast parcel or express operators on GOV.UK

From September 2021, HMRC will send a monthly email about a register of customs agents and fast parcel operators on GOV.UK.

The register is a useful tool that helps to match customs intermediaries with traders looking for support with their import and export arrangements. It is a way to show the services your business offers.

The email will ask you to either:

• keep your details up-to-date
• give your details to include in the register

The email will have a link to the register of customs agents and fast parcel operators on GOV.UK. These emails will never ask you for personal or financial information.

Making Tax Digital for VAT

HMRC will send an email to customers who have signed up for Making Tax Digital.

HMRC will confirm you can submit VAT Returns within 72 hours using the email address you gave. The email will not ask you for any financial information.

National Minimum Wage

From 1 October 2022 HMRC will send emails to offer help and support with the National Minimum Wage. The email may have links to:

• online guidance
• digital forms
• webinars

The email may also ask about your views on the National Minimum Wage. If it does, it will have a:

• link to take part in an online survey
• reference to this page so you can check that the email is genuine

These emails will never ask you for any personal or financial information without writing to you first.

One-to-many Compliance Advisory Board (OCAB) survey

Members of the One-to-Many Compliance Advisory Board (OCAB) may receive an email from HMRC inviting them to take part in a survey.

Only board members who have previously volunteered to take part in the survey will receive this email.

 The email will include: 

• a link to take part in the survey
• a reference to this page so you can check that the email is genuine
• a phone number to contact the research team if you have any concerns

These emails will never ask you to provide personal or financial information.

Paying into your Help to Save account

HMRC may contact some customers by email who have opened Help to Save accounts. The emails will remind customers who have not paid any money into their account about the benefits of using this service.

These emails will not ask for any personal or financial information.

Personal tax account promotion

Customers who contact HMRC helplines will be asked if they wish to sign up to a personal tax account. Customers who do not wish to sign up by telephone will be offered more information by email.

If you agree to give an email address, you’ll be sent some information by email while you’re on the telephone. The email gives background information about the benefits of signing up to a personal tax account, and how to sign up.

The email will not ask for any personal or financial information.

Pre-filing conversation feedback

HMRC’s Customer Insight Delivery Team is carrying out research to understand customers’ experience of the pre-filing conversations that were carried out between April 2022 and January 2023.

The email will ask you to give feedback on your experience of the service. We encourage you to take part and help HMRC improve our services.

Taking part is voluntary and if you do so, all responses and information given:

• will be anonymised
• will be held securely in line with data protection law

Research studies to improve government services

If you have signed up to help make government services better, HMRC will send you an invite by email to take part in research studies.

The email will be headed ‘Invitation to take part in research’. You’ll only get it if you if meet the criteria for the research study.

The email may have:

• a link to take part in an online study
• details about a face to face event

The email will have a:

• reference to this page so you can check that the email is genuine
• phone number to contact the HMRC research team if you have any concerns

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Tax-Free Childcare service

HMRC’s Tax-Free Childcare service regularly send emails to advise parents that they could be missing out on government contributions towards childcare costs from the UK Government.government.

VAT debts reminders

HMRC may send an email to customers who are overdue with VAT payments. HMRC will use email addresses that customers have already given and will recommend that customers pay online to avoid further action. These emails will never ask you for personal or financial information.

VAT EU refund service failed validation

Customers that use the VAT EU refunds service may get an email if their claim has failed validation. The email will give details explaining why the claim has failed.

The emails will not ask for any personal or financial information.

VAT registration

HMRC will send an email to customers who have registered for VAT using HMRC online services. HMRC will use the email address customers have given to advise that they need to log into their online tax account in order to view a message in the secure messaging area.

These emails will never ask you for personal or financial information.

VAT Returns reminder

HMRC will send an email to customers to remind them when their VAT Return is due if they’ve registered to get email reminders. The emails that have the title ‘Reminder to file your VAT return’, have links to a further information page and a link to the sign in page on the GOV.UK website.

These emails will never ask you for personal or financial information.

Other emails you should check

You can also check emails listed in HMRC contact that uses more than one communication method.