Government Gateway account

The Government Gateway is a centralised registration service in the UK. By registering with the Gateway you will be able to sign up for many of the Government's internet services.

The Gateway has over 100 enabled services from over 50 government offices. If you have used online services such as Self Assessment, checking your pension entitlement or applying for a provisional driving licence, it's likely that you are using the Gateway. Sometimes you may not even know you are using it - departments often use their own branding.

You might have received a Government Gateway card with a User ID or been given the ID on-screen when you registered to use online services.

User IDs are made up of 12 randomly generated numbers, for example, 1234 5678 9123.

Please note:

• If you registered after 20 August 2001 but before 20 September 2008 your User ID will be made up of six or 12 randomly generated characters; a combination of letters and numbers.
• If you registered before 20 August 2001 your User ID will contain four letters followed by four numbers, for example, ABCD1234.

You will have registered as an individual, organisation or agent. If you registered as an individual you'll need a new User ID and password before you can register for HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) business taxes. This is because you need to register with the Gateway as an organisation to use this service. You can find out what type of account you have by logging in to the Government Gateway website.

You can create a new organisation account by following the 'Create an account for me' link on the 'Register for HMRC taxes' page.

The User ID and password for your individual account can still be used to access the online services you are already enrolled for.