In a detailed miscellaneous update this week which you can read more about below, HMRC is seeking research participants for its project looking at multi-factor authentication (MFA) for agents. In other news this week:
- The House of Commons library has published a research briefing listing some of the most useful sources on tax law, policy and statistics, in addition to guidance for taxpayers,
- The latest fuel advisory rates applicable 1 September 2025 from have been published; notable in these is that there are now two advisory electric rates for company car drivers which depend on where a vehicle is charged,
- Today, 15 September 2025, is the deadline to opt out of winter fuel payments, which you can read more about in a previous news story,
- The latest schedule of HMRC Talking Points live and recorded webinars for tax agents are available for booking. Spaces are limited, so take a look now and save your place. A webinar is also taking place tomorrow on statutory maternity and paternity pay, in addition to webinars on 16 and 17 September covering the National Minimum Wage, and
- Check HMRC’s online services availability page for details of planned downtime and the online services affected.
HMRC seek research participants for MFA
HMRC is seeking agent volunteers to participate in its project on introducing MFA for agents. HMRC has therefore asked us to share the following message which provides more information:
“Request for user research volunteers for MFA discussions
HMRC is expanding the implementation of multi-factor authentication (MFA) for all agents and want to engage with specific agent groups about its introduction. HMRC already uses MFA to enhance the security of Government Gateway accounts for all individuals and organisations, adding an extra layer of protection.
We want to work collaboratively on the introduction of MFA so we’re looking for your help in identifying agents to take part in individual user research sessions. These will provide an opportunity for us to gather insight on the working processes within different types of agents and the operational requirements they need for implementation.
We would like to speak with 6-8 representatives from each of the following agent types:
- Group 1 – Sole practitioners and micro firms (0-9 employees),
- Group 2 – Mid-sized and smaller firms (10-49 employees), and
- Group 3 – Large agents (50+ employees).
Sessions are expected to last 60 minutes running across the month of September. When responding to us please reply to: customerengagementforums@hmrc.gov.uk and include ‘MFA volunteer’ in the subject line. Please also indicate the size of the firm the volunteer represents by indicating which of the 3 groups you belong to when replying.”
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