{"id":88,"date":"2019-05-28T13:47:35","date_gmt":"2019-05-28T12:47:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/taxfix.com\/en-uk\/?p=88"},"modified":"2025-04-07T16:49:57","modified_gmt":"2025-04-07T15:49:57","slug":"how-to-get-utr","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/taxfix.com\/en-uk\/self-assessment-basics\/how-to-get-utr\/","title":{"rendered":"How to get my UTR number?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Your UTR number is something that HMRC use to identify you as a taxpayer. But what does it stand for? UTR stands for Unique Taxpayer Reference.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>HMRC send you a UTR number when you register for a Self Assessment tax return. You usually need to file a tax return when you\u2019re declaring to HMRC that you have earned untaxed income, so that they can make sure you\u2019re paying the correct amount of tax.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You might need to file a tax return if you\u2019re:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Self-employed<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Investor (shares, crypto, property etc.)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Construction worker<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Landlord<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Employed but have a side hustle<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Once you\u2019re sent your UTR number, it will never change. So if you lose it, don\u2019t worry, it happens to the best of us \ud83d\ude05 &#8211; you\u2019ll be re-sent the same number.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What does a UTR number look like?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>UTR numbers are ten digits long and they sometimes have the letter K at the end. Fun fact &#8211; when you pay your tax bill by bank transfer, you have to add a K to the end of your UTR to use it as the payment reference. OK, maybe that wasn\u2019t as fun as we thought \ud83d\udc40<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How do I get my UTR number?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Here\u2019s how to get a UTR number. First off, be aware that once you get your UTR number sent to you, there\u2019s still more to do.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Your UTR number needs to be activated as well so don\u2019t forget to follow all five of these steps:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.gov.uk\/register-for-self-assessment\">Register for HMRC\u2019s online service<\/a> &#8211; make sure you have these bits to hand \ud83d\udc47\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>National Insurance number<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Home address&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The date you launched your self-employed business<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Business address and phone number<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>HMRC send your UTR number in the post (usually takes ~ 10 working days)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Enrol for Self Assessment<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>HMRC will send your UTR activation code in the post (also usually takes ~ 1 week)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Activate your account to access Self Assessment\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>You have 28 days to use it before it expires<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">I think I lost my UTR number \u2013 where do I find it?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>If you\u2019re not a first timer and you\u2019ve previously registered for Self Assessment, here\u2019s where you can find your UTR number:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Front page of previous tax returns<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Self Assessment documents that HMRC has sent you (notices to file a return, payment reminders, etc.)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Your <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gov.uk\/log-in-register-hmrc-online-services\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">HMRC online account<\/a> under the Self Assessment section<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">When will I need my UTR number?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Filing a Self Assessment tax return, either by yourself or through an accountant (including <a href=\"https:\/\/taxfix.com\/en-uk\/how-to-add-your-utr-number-to-your-taxscouts-account\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Taxfix<\/a>)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>When you claim a tax relief or benefit<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>When you contact HMRC<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Not sure where to begin?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Get in touch with us for some simple, one-off tax advice from one of our accredited accountants. You can learn more <a href=\"https:\/\/taxfix.com\/en-uk\/tax-advice\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">here<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Your UTR number is something that HMRC use to identify you as a taxpayer. But what does it stand for? UTR stands for Unique Taxpayer Reference.&nbsp; HMRC send you a UTR number when you register for a Self Assessment tax return. You usually need to file a tax return when you\u2019re declaring to HMRC that [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[439,435],"tags":[413,102,29],"class_list":["post-88","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-registration-and-filing-your-tax-return","category-self-assessment-basics","tag-accounting","tag-hmrc","tag-taxscouts"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>How to get my UTR number? &#8211; Taxfix<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"When you sign up for Self Assessment, you receive a Unique Taxpayer Reference, or UTR. 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