HMRC has issued the following reminder for agents using IRV to view clients’ tax records. There is also an announcement on how voice recognition will be expanded to verify identity of customers calling HMRC.

Income Record Viewer

HMRC would like to remind all agents that HMRC’s Income Record Viewer (IRV) is the quickest and easiest way to check a client’s pay, tax, employment history, pension (private and state) and tax codes.

Using the IRV:

• saves time and is much quicker than waiting for information to arrive in the post or calling HMRC
• provides the information you need all in one place
• helps reduce errors, providing the opportunity to check any information your client gives you.

When using the Income record Viewer agents can now access their client’s:

• PAYE information for the current year plus the four previous tax years
• employment records, including time in employment, their PAYE reference, the pay and tax details for each of their employment
• student loan repayments, if any, collected through payroll
• latest tax code for the current tax year including all allowances and deductions
• taxable benefits provided by an employer such as company car and medical insurance and whether these are forecasted (P11D not received yet) or actual (P11D received)
• state and private pension information
• details of any underpaid tax and other debts such as tax credits or Class 2 National insurance contributions collected through their tax code.

A client’s authorisation for an agent to access the IRV and act on their behalf is gathered quickly and securely through the digital handshake. Clients only need to authorise the agent once using the digital handshake to access the IRV.

To make it easier for clients to access the IRV HMRC has produced a short YouTube video which explains the online authorisation process that can be shared with them. Any digitally excluded clients who cannot authorise their agent online can contact the relevant helpline and be referred to HMRC’s Extra Support Team who’ll help and guide them through the process.

Expansion of voice recognition

HMRC is expanding voice recognition to offer it to all individuals that use the contact centres from July 2025. Voice recognition is currently used by 1.5m HMRC customers who have their identity verified by technology that analyses the unique biological characteristics of their voice.

This technology offers a easy, quick and secure way for people to use their voice to confirm their identity, helping to reduce call times and increase capacity. The expansion will be introduced in phases across all personal and business tax lines between July and October 2025.

These improvements are part of HMRC’s commitment to modernise services, deliver a digital-first customer experience, transform HMRC and make services more secure, accessible and resilient.