Authorise an agent for taxes that use the digital handshake
Find out what to do if your agent asks you to authorise them using a link.
You must not give your sign in credentials to your agent or anyone else.
If you’re an agent, you must not use your client’s credentials to sign in to any account. Find out how to get authorised for HMRC online services for agents.
For some taxes, an agent will send you a link which allows you to authorise them to deal with HMRC on your behalf — this is known as the digital handshake.
Services you can authorise your agent to use on your behalf
You can use the steps on this page to authorise an agent to act on your behalf for the following tax services:
- Making Tax Digital for VAT
- Manage a Capital Gains Tax on UK property account
- Making Tax Digital for Income Tax
- Managing a trust or estate
- Manage Plastic Packaging Tax
For other taxes, talk to your agent about how they can get authorised.
Your agent may ask you to authorise them in your business tax account. They will give you information about how to do this. Find out how you can authorise your agent through your business tax account.
If you want a friend or family member to manage your tax, they must use the Trusted Helper service.
If your business uses members of staff to manage your business tax affairs, they cannot be authorised as a tax agent, they should use your business’s online tax account
How to authorise your agent to deal with certain taxes on your behalf
1. Sign up to each tax service you want the agent to deal with
You’ll need a Government Gateway user ID to do this. If you do not have one, you can get one when you sign up to a tax service.
Sign up for:
- Making Tax Digital for VAT
- Manage a Capital Gains Tax on UK property account
- Making Tax Digital for Income Tax
- Manage a trust or estate
- Manage Plastic Packaging Tax
Other ways to sign up
Your agent can also sign you up to Making Tax Digital for Income Tax but you must have already submitted a Self Assessment tax return or signed up to Self Assessment.
2. Tell your agent that you’ve signed up to the tax services
Even if your agent signed you up for a tax service, you must make sure it has been added to your Government Gateway user ID.
If you want them to manage a Capital Gains Tax on UK property account, you must also tell them the account or reference number.
3. Respond to the authorisation request from your agent
Your agent will send you an email with a link. Select the link and sign in with the Government Gateway user ID you use for the tax service you need to authorise your agent for. You may have more than one so make sure you use the correct ID.
The link will expire after 21 days. If you have not responded by then, you’ll need to ask your agent to send another link.
You may be asked to verify your identity before you can give authorisation to your agent.
If you authorise your agent for Making Tax Digital for Income Tax, they can submit your Self Assessment tax returns on your behalf. You must check the information in your tax return is correct and let your agent know, before they submit it to us.
You are responsible for your own tax affairs, even if you authorise someone to act on your behalf.
You must keep the email that your agent sends you as you may need to use this link if you decide to remove your agent.
Change or remove your agent’s authorisation status
You can manage and remove your agent’s authorisation in your business tax account.
Find out more information on how to change or remove agent authorisation.
Updates to this page
Last updated 2 November 2023 + show all updates
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Guidance has been updated to explain that if you authorise your agent for Making Tax Digital for Income Tax, they can submit your Self Assessment tax returns on your behalf. You are responsible for your own tax affairs, even if you authorise someone to act on your behalf.
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Guidance about how to authorise an agent using your business tax account has been moved to a new dedicated guidance page.
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Information about how to authorise an agent to manage Plastic Packaging Tax has been added.
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How to authorise an agent for all other tax services section added.
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The 'How to authorise an agent' section has been updated, as agents can now create an authorisation request for a client if they have registered for Self Assessment.
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First published.