UK VAT transfers: authorising Taxually in your Government Gateway account

If you are moving an existing UK VAT registration to Taxually, there is one step only you can do: authorise us as your agent online, from the Business Government Gateway account your UK VAT number is linked to. This article explains why that step is needed, how to check you are in the right account, how to accept our request, how to download your VAT certificate, and what to do if you cannot get into the account.

Why we need you to authorise us online

We can only file your UK VAT returns once you have authorised Taxually as your agent online, from the Business Government Gateway account your UK VAT number is linked to. This is how HMRC gives agents filing access today. Without it we cannot take over your registration, complete your onboarding or file any return for you.

The signed form 64-8 is still needed alongside it. It allows HMRC to share information with us and deal with us by email, letter or phone on your UK VAT affairs, but it does not give filing access on its own.

There is no alternative route. And even with full agent authorisation, our authority only covers your VAT matters. Access to your Business Government Gateway account is an identity and account matter, which HMRC deals with only with the business owner directly.

Your Business Government Gateway account

A UK VAT number can only be linked to one Business Government Gateway account at a time. Our authorisation request goes automatically to that account, so you must accept it from there and not from any other account.

If your business has ever filed a UK VAT return, such an account already exists, because filing is only possible through one. It is often set up by a previous tax service provider, so you may not know about it.

• Creating a new account will not help. The VAT number cannot be added to a new account while it is linked to another one.
• A personal Government Gateway account will not work. It has to be the business account the VAT number belongs to.

How to check you are in the right account

1. Sign in at gov.uk/log-in-register-hmrc-online-services with your business's Government Gateway user ID and password.
2. You land on the Business tax account page.
3. Look for a VAT section showing your VAT registration number.

VAT section visible. This is the right account. Click Manage your VAT account and check that the Your VAT account page shows your VAT registration number (VRN).

No VAT section. Your VAT number is not linked to this account, which is why our request does not appear there. See "If you cannot access the right account" below.

If you are unsure, send us a screenshot of the Your VAT account page and we will check it for you.

How to accept our authorisation request

Once we have verified your UK VAT number and Effective Date of Registration, we email you a secure HMRC link, and your portal shows the Authorise us by date. Accepting takes a few minutes.

1. Sign in to the Business Government Gateway account your UK VAT number is linked to.
2. Open the link from our email. You see the Manage who can deal with HMRC for you page with a request from TAXUALLY LTD under Current requests (tax service VAT, agent role Main). Click Respond to request.
3. On the page TAXUALLY LTD want to be your agent, click Continue.
4. On Authorise an agent, select Yes and click Continue.
5. On Check your answer, read the declaration and click Accept and send.
6. The confirmation screen reads You have authorised TAXUALLY LTD. You are done.

We receive a notification from HMRC and confirm the authorisation in your portal, normally within 24 hours. Your onboarding is then complete and we file from the next open period. Keep filing with your previous provider until we confirm the handover date with you.

Finding the request without the link. The request also appears on the Manage who can deal with HMRC for you page of your account, under Current requests. The Authorised agents tab shows who you have already authorised, and History shows past requests.

If the link has expired. The link is valid for 21 days; the exact expiry is shown as the Authorise us by date in your portal. If it expires before you accept, we automatically email you a new one, usually within a day.

How to download your UK VAT certificate

We need your UK VAT certificate at the start of the transfer, because it shows your Effective Date of Registration. You can download it at any time from the same account you will use to authorise us, so this is also a good early check that you can sign in.

1. Sign in at gov.uk/log-in-register-hmrc-online-services with the Government Gateway user ID and password of the account your UK VAT number is linked to.
2. On the Business tax account page, find the VAT section and click Manage your VAT account.
3. On the Your VAT account page, under Manage your VAT, click View VAT certificate.
4. View it on screen, save it as a PDF or print it, then upload it to your portal.

If you cannot access the right account

You need to regain access to the account your UK VAT number is linked to before you can authorise us. We cannot do this for you, because HMRC deals with account access only with the business owner.

1. Contact your previous tax service provider first. They most likely created the account and can give you full access to it.
2. If that is not possible, contact HMRC directly. HMRC has a dedicated line for Government Gateway access issues, which is quicker than the general VAT helpline. Lines are open Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm UK time. It can take around half an hour to get through, so a little patience is needed, but callers who stay on the line do get their access sorted.

Once you are back in, accept our request from the link we sent you.

Frequently asked questions

I clicked the link but there is no request from Taxually. You are almost certainly signed in to an account your UK VAT number is not linked to. Check it as described in "How to check you are in the right account", then sign in to the correct one.

I created a new Government Gateway account. Why can I not add my VAT number? A VAT number can only be linked to one account at a time. If your business has ever filed a UK VAT return, it is already linked to an existing account, often one your previous provider set up. You need access to that account.

I have lost my user ID or password. Ask your previous provider for access, or call HMRC's Government Gateway line on +44 300 200 3701.

Can Taxually call HMRC to recover my account? No. Our authorisation covers your VAT matters only. HMRC handles account access with the business owner directly, however much we would like to help.

Is there another way to complete the transfer? No. We cannot complete the transfer or file any return until you authorise us from the account your VAT number is linked to.

My link has expired. We automatically email you a new one, usually within a day.

I signed in with my personal account. The request only appears in the Business Government Gateway account linked to the VAT number. Sign out and sign in to the business account.

How do I know it worked? The last screen reads "You have authorised TAXUALLY LTD", and Taxually appears under Authorised agents on the Manage who can deal with HMRC for you page. We confirm it in your portal, normally within 24 hours.

Can I remove the authorisation later? Yes, from the same page, at any time. Without it we can no longer file for you.

Need help?

If you are stuck at any step, send us a screenshot of the page you see (ideally the Your VAT account page) through your portal or to support@taxually.com, and we will tell you exactly what to do next.