What is Government Gateway?
Government gateway is an online service where you can register to use a variety of online government services.
You can gain access to your Personal Tax Account and other digital HMRC services through the government gateway.
When you register you will be given a unique government gateway user ID and password to use every time you login to the service.
How do I sign up for the government gateway?
To sign up for a government gateway account you will need to prove your identity. You will no longer be able to use the GOV.UK Verify service to do this.
You will need your national insurance number and two other forms of ID from the list below:
- Valid UK passport.
- UK driving licence.
- P60 from the last tax year.
- Information from a self assessment tax return if you submit one.
- Payslip from the last three months.
- Information relating to a tax credit claim.
- Credit record details for example information relating to a personal loan or credit card.
It’s best to have what you need before you try and sign up online to avoid wasting your time.
Follow the GOV.UK link and click on the green box and then select the ‘Create sign in details’ link.
You will be asked to:
- Enter your email address.
- Enter your full name.
- Create a password.
- Create a ‘recovery word’ just in case you lose access to your account in the future.
After you have followed the online process you will be sent a government gateway user ID which is twelve characters in length.
It is recommended to keep a copy of your 12 character user ID, password and recovery word in a safe place.
Government gateway and HMRC services
HMRC still uses the government gateway for access to many of their digital services.
You can register for the following HMRC digital services via the government gateway:
- Personal tax account.
- Self assessment.
- Corporation tax.
- PAYE for employers.
- Business tax account.
Government gateway and your Personal Tax Account
The personal tax account is a great way to deal with your personal tax matters online. It lets you see and update information instead of having to call or write to HMRC. The government gateway allows you to register for your personal tax account.
You can register here for your personal tax account through government gateway.
Government gateway and Self Assessment
HMRC have a self assessment online service for those who need to complete a self assessment tax return. It allows you to submit your tax return online, check SA statements and make payments to HMRC.
There are a number of other options which are very useful when needing to oversee your self assessment record.
You can register here for self assessment online services through government gateway.
What do I do if I have lost my Government Gateway User ID or password?
If you have already set up a government gateway account and you have lost your user ID and/or password you can retrieve or reset what you need online. What you should do will depend on the type of service you want to use.
HMRC has a problems signing in page which will let you know what process to follow. You can also phone HMRC on: 0300 200 3600.
You will be given three options to reset or recover your login details as listed below:
TIP!
Check your emails. If you have misplaced your government gateway user ID you can find it on the original email that was sent to you when you first registered for the service.
Government gateway and GOV.UK Verify
Government gateway and GOV.UK Verify are not the same. GOV.UK Verify is an online service that is used to prove your ID. It is no longer supported by HMRC and isn’t helpful when creating a government gateway account or when using HMRC services online.
HMRC App
HMRC has a free app that you can download to support you with your income tax and claiming a tax rebate.
To use the HMRC app you need enter your government gateway details. You should only need to use your government gateway ID and password for the first time you use the app. After the first time it’s easier to login because you can use facial recognition, your fingerprint or a six digit PIN.
What other government services are online?
There are many government services which offer different degrees of online access. The number will probably keep growing as more and more services are digitised to help save time and hopefully money.
You can find here a complete list here of all government departments that currently have online services and support.
