Tell HMRC about beneficial owners at a disproportionate risk of harm
Report beneficial owners in a registered trust who may be at disproportionate risk of harm.
Before you send a report
This form is to tell HMRC about one or more beneficial owners in a trust registered on the Trust Registration Service (TRS), who would be at a disproportionate risk of harm if their information is released.
You cannot use this form to report tax fraud or avoidance.
If HMRC agrees that there is a disproportionate risk of harm, we will:
- apply an exemption for 12 months
- not share any information with third parties
Reporting a risk of harm is not a guarantee that we will apply the exemption.
When HMRC will share information
HMRC shares information held on TRS in limited circumstances with some third parties.
Information will only be shared if either:
- individuals can show that they’re investigating an instance of money laundering or terrorist financing in relation to a trust
- a trust holds a controlling interest in offshore companies
This information is limited to the beneficial owner’s:
- full name
- month and year of birth
- nationality
- country of residence
- beneficial interest in the trust
HMRC will not share this information if it would directly lead to a disproportionate risk of:
- fraud
- kidnapping
- blackmail
- extortion
- harassment
- violence
- intimidation
What you will need
To report a disproportionate risk of harm, you will need to tell us the:
- trust name
- lead trustee name
- trust Unique Taxpayer Reference (UTR) or Unique Reference Number (URN)
- beneficial owners that are at risk of harm
- specific risk of harm
- full reason why the beneficial owners are at risk of the specified harm
- full reason for believing that releasing their trust information would put them at a disproportionate risk of harm
- length of time for which you believe this risk will continue
Send a report
Use our online form to tell us about beneficial owners at a disproportionate risk of harm.
After you have sent a report
When you tell HMRC about a disproportionate risk of harm, we will:
- review the information provided
- reply to the trustees in writing
The response from HMRC will tell you if we have applied the risk of harm exemption.
If applied, the exemption will apply for 12 months from the date the report is received.
If you believe there is still a risk of harm after 12 months, you will need to send another report between 11 and 12 months from the date of the last report.