The 7.42 bus into Derby was late, and Amara had four minutes to answer one question: had payday gone through properly? She opened the HMRC app, saw her pay and tax before the money had even reached her bank, and put her phone away. Her dad does the same job on the HMRC website, at a desktop, with a mug of tea beside the keyboard. Both routes open the same tax account. So which should you use? The honest answer is both, at different moments, and this guide shows you when.
The HMRC App and the Website at a Glance
| Cost | Both free; the app needs iOS 15 or later, or Android via Google Play |
| Everyday sign-in | App: six-digit PIN, fingerprint or face scan after the first sign-in; website: full sign-in each visit |
| Users in 2025–26 | 7.6 million on the app; 19.7 million in the personal tax account |
| Best on the app | Pay before payday, tax code, NI number, refunds, Self Assessment payments |
| Website only | Filing a Self Assessment return, Marriage Allowance, voluntary NI payments, business taxes |
| New since 9 Feb 2026 | First-time customers register with GOV.UK One Login: an email address and password |
| Who runs it | HMRC; the official guide sits on GOV.UK |
What the HMRC App Actually Does
Amara downloaded the app in the staff room after a colleague waved hers about. Inside it she can check her tax code, her income, her National Insurance number, her State Pension forecast, Child Benefit and any gaps in her NI record, plus her employment and income history for the previous 5 years. She can claim a refund, estimate her tax, make a Self Assessment or Simple Assessment payment, track forms she has posted, update her address and save her NI number to her phone’s digital wallet. None of this is separate data. The app and the website read the same record, through one account, so if you have never registered anywhere, first learn how to set up a Government Gateway account and the rest follows.
Signing In: One Password, Then Your Face
The fiddly part happens exactly once. On your first visit you enter the sign-in details you use for HMRC online services, and from then on the app opens with a six-digit PIN, a fingerprint or a face scan. No hunting for a 12-digit user ID at a bus stop. Since 9 February 2026 there has been a bigger shift for newcomers: people registering with HMRC for the first time now create a GOV.UK One Login using just an email address and password, instead of a Government Gateway ID. Existing customers keep their Gateway details and will be contacted when it is their turn to switch. If yours have vanished from memory, here is how to recover a lost Government Gateway user ID before you download anything.
Where the App Wins on an Ordinary Tuesday
Payday is the app’s home ground. HMRC says 5.6 million taxpayers checked their pay in the app last year, an average of 18 times each, usually seeing the figures before the money landed in their bank. Amara does it in the ten seconds between the school gate and the bus shelter. The app also swallows the small jobs that once meant a 12.5-minute wait on the phone: finding your National Insurance number for a new-job form, setting a reminder for a Self Assessment payment, or telling HMRC you no longer need to send a return. Overpaid through your wages? You can claim a tax refund online from the sofa, and the built-in digital assistant answered over 6.3 million questions during 2025–26.
Where the Website Still Beats the App
Some jobs want a bigger screen and the fuller service behind it. You cannot file a Self Assessment return in the app; it takes payments, not returns, so filing your Self Assessment online still happens in a browser. The personal tax account on GOV.UK also covers things the app leaves out: checking or updating a Marriage Allowance transfer, paying voluntary National Insurance contributions to fill the gaps the app can only display, and updating work benefits such as a company car. Anything business-shaped, from VAT to Corporation Tax to employer PAYE, lives in a separate Business Tax Account with no app version at all. Amara’s dad, who rents out a small flat in Belper, does his whole January return at the desktop for exactly this reason.
The Numbers Behind HMRC Going Digital
The direction of travel is not subtle. HMRC’s transformation roadmap update, published in July 2026, counted 7.6 million unique app users in 2025–26, up from 5.9 million the year before, with 2.8 million people joining in that year alone. In January 2026, Self Assessment payments made through the app reached £818.8 million in a single month. Around 78% of all customer contact with HMRC is now digital or automated, and the stated ambition is at least 90% by 2030, with 10 million app users targeted by April 2027. Sign-in is being rebuilt around how GOV.UK One Login works, and HMRC has sent 15 million fewer letters over the last 3 years, with a 75% cut in post targeted by 2028–29. The full feature list sits on the official GOV.UK page for the HMRC app.
Tax Codes, Refunds and Pensions: Two Doors, Same Room
Plenty of tasks work equally well through either door, because both show one record. Amara’s tax code changed in June when her hours went up, and the app flagged it on the bus; her dad spotted his on the website the same week. Either way you can check your tax code online in a couple of minutes, then dig into what the letters and numbers are telling you. The same goes for your State Pension forecast online, your five-year income history and any refund HMRC owes you. Pick whichever screen is nearest; the point is that you look at all, because a wrong code quietly takes the wrong tax every single month until somebody notices, and that somebody is almost never your employer.
When the App or the Website Lets You Down
Neither door opens every time. Planned maintenance, forgotten PINs and new phones all lock people out of the app, and the website has its own bad days, which is why we keep a guide to Government Gateway sign-in problems and fixes. A new handset is the classic trap: the app asks you to sign in fully again before your fingerprint works, so keep those original details somewhere safe. No smartphone, or no wish to use one? Nothing forces you onto the app; the website, the phone lines and the post all remain open. HMRC publishes separate accessibility statements for the Android and iOS versions, and the app supports the screen readers built into both systems, so it stays usable if your sight or dexterity changes.
So Which Should You Open?
Use both, the way Amara’s family now does. The HMRC app is for the everyday: pay on the bus, a tax code glance, a refund claim, a payment before the deadline. The website is for the heavy lifting: the January return, Marriage Allowance, NI top-ups, anything for a business. One account opens the two of them, so download the app tonight, sign in once while your Gateway details are still fresh in your head, and give your tax code a proper look before the end of the week.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the HMRC app free and safe to use?
Yes. HMRC’s official app is free on the App Store and Google Play, and it locks behind your six-digit PIN, fingerprint or face scan after the first sign-in.
Can I file my Self Assessment tax return on the HMRC app?
No. The app shows what you owe and takes payments, but the return itself must be filed through HMRC’s online services on the website.
Do I need a Government Gateway account to use the HMRC app?
Existing customers sign in with their Government Gateway details. Since 9 February 2026, brand-new customers create a GOV.UK One Login with an email address and password instead.
What can I check on the HMRC app?
Your tax code, pay and income history, National Insurance number, State Pension forecast, Child Benefit, Self Assessment balance and any tax refund HMRC owes you.
Why does the HMRC app keep asking me to sign in again?
A new phone, an app update or a lapsed session can trigger a full sign-in. Enter your original details once and your PIN or biometrics return.
Disclaimer: This article is general information, not financial or tax advice. Services and figures were correct as of August 2026 and can change; always check GOV.UK or speak to HMRC about your own circumstances.