HMRC pauses some refund claims for agents
Due to security concerns, HMRC has warned that it will not process refund claims made by authorised agents. What’s going on and what alternatives are available?
An increase in fraudulent requests for money to be repaid has led HMRC to stop accepting claims made by phone, even where there is an appropriate authority in place. This includes the agent dedicated line, and the online webchat. Agents are being advised to make a claim via a tax return or through their Agent Services Account. It is currently not clear if, or when, phone requests will start to be accepted again. In addition, HMRC is asking agents to:
- be extra vigilant for phishing scams
- choose strong passwords and to change them regularly; and
- pay close attention to HMRC’s advice regarding account security, particularly in the event of an agent account suspension.
Related Topics
-
Mandatory payrolling of employee benefits delayed until 2027
The start date of mandatory payrolling of employee benefits has been delayed from April 2026 to April 2027. What do we know so far?
-
Multiple agents for MTD ITSA will be permitted
-
One-person companies and the employment allowance
The NI employment allowance has increased from £5,000 to £10,500. The bad news is that companies with only one person who’s also a director on their payroll aren’t entitled to it. How can they qualify with just one simple low-cost step?
This website uses both its own and third-party cookies to analyze our services and navigation on our website in order to improve its contents (analytical purposes: measure visits and sources of web traffic). The legal basis is the consent of the user, except in the case of basic cookies, which are essential to navigate this website.