HMRC locks out taxpayers from their online accounts

theguardian.com:

Thousands of people, including pensioners and the self-employed, are locked out of filing their tax returns, or applying for rebates online, after HMRC changed the way taxpayers sign in to its services.

Until last month, they could access accounts after signing up through Gov.uk Verify, a government service that allows users to confirm their identity using a British driving licence or credit records. However, last month, HMRC unexpectedly withdrew from the service.

As a result, people can now only access tax accounts via Government Gateway, which requires them to hold two acceptable ID options from a list including a UK passport, a recent payslip or P60, a tax credit statement or a Northern Ireland driving licence.

HMRC advises those who can’t provide the required documents to submit their tax returns on paper, and to call its helpline for information about their tax status.

Louise Wadley, who is self-employed, says she is now unable to complete a self-assessment form online because she has been barred from the account she previously accessed by Verify.

“I do not have a UK passport and my driving licence was issued in England, not Northern Ireland, so I can’t get past the first stage of Government Gateway,” she says.

“The very helpful HMRC call centre agent I spoke to was unaware of the change and advised me to file my return by post, even though they are trying to reduce the number of paper returns.”

Gov.uk Verify was launched by the Cabinet Office in 2014 to allow users to access government services from a single account.

To sign up, users provide their details to one of two approved organisations, the Post Office and a company called Digidentity, which check and verify their identity.

The aim was to sign up 25 million users