How to Use the HMRC App: Tax Code, NI Number, Refunds and Pay History (2026/27)

This guide is general information, not advice.

This guide is for employees and anyone who pays tax through PAYE and wants to check their tax affairs from a phone. The HMRC app is HMRC’s own app for managing your details, your taxes and some benefits, and GOV.UK updated its guidance on what the app does on 7 September 2026 (GOV.UK).

By the end you will have the app installed and signed in, your National Insurance number saved to your phone’s wallet, and you will know where to find your tax code, pay history and refund claim — and when to switch to the full personal tax account on the web instead.

Before you start

• A phone running iOS or Android. GOV.UK says the app is available for both, from the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.
• Your HMRC online services sign-in details, if you have them: either a Government Gateway user ID (up to 12 characters) and password, or a GOV.UK One Login email address and password (GOV.UK).
• Photo ID, if you are setting up sign-in details for the first time. GOV.UK’s personal tax account page says you may need to prove your identity, which “normally involves using photo ID like a passport or driving licence” (GOV.UK).
• Your P60 or latest payslip, so you can compare what the app shows with what your employer has paid you.

Step-by-step

1. Install the app from an official store. Search for the HMRC app on the Apple App Store or Google Play Store, as GOV.UK directs (GOV.UK). Do not use a download link sent in a text or email.

2. Sign in. Open the app and enter the details you use to sign in to HMRC online services. GOV.UK says that if you do not already have sign in details, you can create them in the app. Existing users should keep using the details they already have, whether Government Gateway or GOV.UK One Login (GOV.UK).

3. Set a quick way back in. GOV.UK lists three ways to open the app after that: a 6-digit PIN, your fingerprint, or facial recognition.

4. Find your National Insurance number and save it. Under managing your taxes, GOV.UK says the app shows your National Insurance number and lets you save it to your Google or Apple wallet.

5. Check your tax code. The app shows your tax code. Compare it with the code on your latest payslip. If it looks wrong, work through how to read a PAYE coding notice to see which allowance or deduction is driving it.

6. Check your pay history. The app shows your Annual Tax Summary and your employment history. Use these to confirm that each employer has reported your pay and tax.

7. Claim a refund if you have overpaid. GOV.UK lists “claim a refund if you have paid too much tax” as something you can do in the app.

8. Check your National Insurance record and State Pension. The app lets you check for gaps in your National Insurance record, pay gaps in your National Insurance record, and check your State Pension summary.

9. Use the other tools you need. GOV.UK also lists:

   • updating your name or address, and choosing how HMRC contacts you;
   • tracking forms and letters you have sent to HMRC;
   • checking whether you need to report additional income from a second job, investments, or a sale or transfer of an asset;
   • your Self Assessment Unique Taxpayer Reference (UTR) and how much tax you owe, making payments and setting payment reminders, and telling HMRC if you no longer need to send a Self Assessment return;
   • estimating your take-home pay on the tax calculator;
   • applying for and managing Child Benefit;
   • checking your eligibility for, applying for and managing a Help to Save account.

Deadlines and what happens next

There is no deadline for using the app. Changes you make, such as a new address, go to HMRC through the app, and GOV.UK says you can track forms and letters you have sent. The app guidance does not state processing times for refunds or other requests, so we do not give one.

What the app does not list. GOV.UK’s list of app features does not include submitting a Self Assessment return; the personal tax account on the web does (“submit, view or manage a Self Assessment tax return”, GOV.UK). Your Income Tax estimate is not on the app page’s list either, but GOV.UK’s Check your Income Tax page says “You can also use the HMRC app to check your Income Tax for the current year” (GOV.UK). The app list also does not mention the High Income Child Benefit Charge. If a task is not on GOV.UK’s list, use the personal tax account.

Scam warnings. HMRC says to forward suspicious texts to 60599 (charged at your network rate), forward suspicious emails to [email protected], and screenshot suspicious app messages such as WhatsApp and email them to the same address (GOV.UK). HMRC also says it will never ask you to pay with gift or payment vouchers (GOV.UK). Our HMRC scams guide covers the common ones.

Common mistakes

• Installing from a link in a message. Go to the app store directly.
• Creating a second set of sign-in details. If you already use Government Gateway or GOV.UK One Login for HMRC, sign in with those.
• Assuming the take-home pay calculator is your payslip. It is an estimate; your employer’s payslip shows what was actually deducted.
• Expecting to file a Self Assessment return in the app. GOV.UK does not list it; use the personal tax account.
• Trusting a refund text. Start any refund claim from inside the app.

Related reading

• Personal tax account guide
• HMRC scams: how to spot and report them
• How to read a PAYE coding notice