Guidance: How to use the digital handshake to get authorised as a tax agent

If you’ve already created an agent services account you now need to get authorised by each of your clients to transact on their behalf, you must do this by using the ‘digital handshake’.

You can also check which tax services you can get client authorisation for by using the digital handshake.

If you’re not a tax agent, you can find out how to authorise your tax agent using the digital handshake.

What you’ll need

To get client authorisation, you’ll need:

• the Government Gateway user ID you got when you created your agent services account (you will not be able to get authorisation using the Government Gateway user ID you have for HMRC online services)
• your client’s National Insurance number
• your client’s date of birth
• your client’s tax reference number (for the service you want to get authorised for)

How to use the digital handshake

To get authorised, start by:

1. Signing into your agent services account.
2. Select ‘Ask a client to authorise you’.
3. Enter your client’s details.

Once you’ve entered your client’s details, that client will be added to your authorisation requests.

If you need to add another client, select ‘Yes’ and ‘Continue’ and follow the process again.

If you do not need to add another authorisation request, you should select ‘No’ and ‘Continue’.

You’ll then be given an authorisation request link.

You should:

1. Copy the link and send it to your client.
2. Tell your client to select the link you’ve sent them and respond to your request (they will need the Government Gateway user ID that they used to register for this tax service in order to sign in and respond).
3. Ask your client to sign in and respond within 21 days of you receiving the link as it will expire, and you’ll have to start the authorisation process again.

To check whether a client has responded to your authorisation request link, go to the ‘Manage your authorisation requests from the last 30 days’ page in your agent services account. It will show you:

• a list of all the clients you’ve sent a request to in the last 30 days
• the tax services you’ve requested to be authorised to deal with
• the current status of your requests

Get authorised

Start now

What happens next

You can track the progress of your authorisation requests by selecting the ‘Track my authorisations’ link in your agent services account.

Once your client has approved your authorisation request, you will be authorised to deal with HMRC for them.