TCM0094120 - Contact - customers and employers: identity confirmation
Background
You must only discuss the details of a claim with the person when you are sure that you are speaking to the customer or their personal acting body.
To ensure that you are talking to the customer or their personal acting body, you must ask the person specific questions and confirm the details given with the information held on the computer (This content has been withheld because of exemptions in the Freedom of Information Act 2000)
(This content has been withheld because of exemptions in the Freedom of Information Act 2000)
If the person isn’t the customer or their personal acting body, find out why they are calling.
- If they wish to provide information about a claim, take a note of their name and any information that they wish to give and forward the details to the relevant Management Unit, if you aren’t able to deal with it yourself.
- If they ask for information about a claim, tell them that you are unable to provide any information and ask them to put their questions in writing.
- If the person is from another Government office such as Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), you must make a note of the switchboard phone number, their full name and extension and phone them back.
- If the caller is from another team or HMRC office, use the internal caller verification on SEES.
- If the person is calling from Citizens Advice Bureau or is the customer’s solicitor or agent, establish whether the customer is present. Ask to speak to the customer to establish that they’re happy for this person to receive and give information on their behalf. If the customer isn’t present, ask for the information they require to be put in writing and the reply will be sent to the customer.
Guidance
Note: When sending customer, staff or process data to another individual or team, make sure you follow the latest data security guidelines or contact the Data Guardian or Data Security Team for advice.
Step 1
Ask the person their name and NINO if they have applied for tax credits.
If the person is the customer or their personal acting body, go to Step 2.
If the person isn’t the customer or their personal acting body, go to Step 8.
Step 2
(This content has been withheld because of exemptions in the Freedom of Information Act 2000)
Step 3
(This content has been withheld because of exemptions in the Freedom of Information Act 2000)
Step 4
(This content has been withheld because of exemptions in the Freedom of Information Act 2000)
Step 5
(This content has been withheld because of exemptions in the Freedom of Information Act 2000)
Step 6
When the person passes security and confirms their identity as the customer or their personal acting body, you can discuss the details of the claim with the caller and take any information from them that they want to give you.
- check and update customer’s contact number, for how to do this, use TCM1000656
- take no further action.
Step 7
When the person fails security and doesn’t confirm their identity as the customer or their personal acting body, ask the caller to put their questions in writing, or we will write to them for the information we need.
- take no further action.
Step 8
If the person isn’t the customer or their personal acting body, ask the person why they are calling and if the customer is present.
If the customer is present, go to Step 9.
If the customer isn’t present, go to Step 10.
Step 9
Ask to speak with the customer and ask them to give their permission for the person to provide or receive information on their behalf
then
- ask the customer to confirm their identity, go to Step 2.
or - ask the person speaking on the customer’s behalf to answer questions to confirm the customer’s identity, go to Step 2.
Step 10
If the person wants to provide information
- take a note of the person’s name, any information that they wish to give, and their relationship to the customer
- forward the information to the appropriate Management Unit, if you aren’t able to deal with it yourself. Use TCM0322460 for the correct MU number.
If the person asks for information
- tell the person that you will need the written consent of the customer before you can discuss any of the details with them
then - where the person is from another Government office such as Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), ask for their switchboard phone number, full name and extension, and phone them back.
- where the caller is from another team or HMRC office, use the internal caller verification on SEES.