HMRC: Frequently asked questions

Once I have registered for HMRC taxes, what happens next?

When you successfully register a business online, an acknowledgment page will be displayed advising you that your application will now be verified (checked). For most taxes it will take a week to verify the information but sometimes it may take longer.

Once your registration has been successfully verified HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) will contact you separately about each tax you have registered for. This will be by post except for most VAT applications which will use the customer communications service. You can access customer communications from the 'Your HMRC services' page.

VAT communications relating to Transfers of a Going Concern or Changes of Legal Entity will be sent by post.

If your application cannot be verified, HMRC will contact you for any additional information needed.

If your application is successfully verified you will automatically be enrolled for the online services associated with the taxes you have registered for. You can then file your forms and returns online and see an overall picture of your tax position, including payments you have made and amounts you owe.

There are some exceptions to this automatic enrolment:

You chose not to enrol for the Self Assessment online service as part of the registration. In this case you will continue to receive paper returns to fill in. The deadline for paper returns is 31 October and the deadline for online filing is 31 January.
You are an agent registering for taxes on behalf of a client. In this case either you or your client will need to enrol for the online services separately.

HMRC will send an Activation Code through the post for each online service that requires one so that you can start to use the service. This code can take up to 28 days from when your registration is verified to arrive, so don't leave it until the last minute to register.

Please note: Agents registering for taxes online on behalf of a client are not automatically authorised to act for that client. Agents still need to complete the Online Agent Authorisation process or ask the client to complete a form 64-8.