Managing your VAT Made Easy.

On Tuesday 7 April 2026, HMRC will temporarily add a new page to the agent online sign in journey. This page will inform agents that Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) will soon be introduced to strengthen security on their accounts.

Agents will sign in to their accounts as usual. After entering their User ID, their Password and selecting Sign In, a new page will then appear in the user journey. This will alert agents to the introduction of MFA and will be visible to them until it is applied to their account. The page will also provide a link to further information which will be published within the Tax Agent’s Handbook. This will open in a separate tab if selected. We will add the URL of the new page here once it is published by HMRC.

Once MFA is applied to the agent’s account, they will no longer see this page and will instead see the access code entry screen. Once live, the MFA sign in journey for agents will mirror the existing journey for individuals and organisations. There will be no change to the 18 month application authorisation meaning that you do not need to grant a new authority to Shiraz Vatbridge, if you have already done so.

HMRC has been working collaboratively with tax advisers and professional bodies to introduce added security for agents via the introduction of MFA. HMRC are currently undertaking the Test and Learn phase with a small group of agents. MFA testing will be extended in April, with HMRC contacting agents who they recognise would benefit from early adoption of the additional security MFA offers. This may be agents who have previously contacted HMRC due to account suspension or to raise security concerns.

To give agents time to prepare, HMRC will confirm the MFA go-live date for the wider agent community as early as possible, currently scheduled to be delivered by the end of June 2026, but subject to successful testing. 

Today, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, the Rt Hon Rachel Reeves MP, gave her Autumn Budget 2025 speech which set out the government’s plans to strengthen foundations for a secure future.

The Budget package includes tax changes which address unfairness, underpin digital transformation, and support the integrity of the tax system. These changes align with HMRC’s strategic objectives; to modernise our services, improve our day-to-day performance, and close the tax gap; alongside those which bear down on those who deliberately flout the rules.

As part of today’s Budget, the government also published the independent review of the loan charge carried out by Ray McCann and accepted all but one of its recommendations. This includes a new loan charge settlement opportunity along with changes that will make it possible for customers to settle with extra support. Full details are available in the government’s response published alongside the Budget.

From 10 November 2025, customers signing into HMRC may have noticed a new sign-in screen. This new screen introduces an additional option: GOV.UK One Login, alongside the existing Government Gateway option. Users should continue using their Government Gateway sign-in details as usual. This change is part of HMRC’s preparation for moving to GOV.UK One Login, a secure, modern sign-in system that will eventually replace Government Gateway.

Users on the HMRC sign-in screen will not be able to create a GOV.UK One Login or sign into HMRC with a GOV.UK One Login at this point, instead, they will be redirected to Government Gateway.

Some users may already have a GOV.UK One Login credential from another Government Department, however, they cannot use their GOV.UK One Login to sign into HMRC services yet. They must continue to use their Government Gateway details to sign-in.

Starting from 19 November 2025, users signing in through Shiraz Vatbridge will also see the new sign-in screen, this will include the GOV.UK One Login option.

For now, all existing users should continue to sign-in via Government Gateway and enter their details as normal (10-12-character user ID and password). New users should select “I am new” on the sign-in screen to create a new Government Gateway account.