HMRC reveals millions of taxpayers choosing to go digital and check their pay via its app

Organisation sets out how it is transforming and modernising the way taxpayers interact with its services, while also making tax easier to understand and simpler to engage with.

Lanarkshire residents are among the millions of taxpayers choosing to go digital and check their pay via the HMRC app.

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has revealed the service was used almost 100 million times last year.

Publishing its Transformation Roadmap – Update, HMRC is setting out how it is transforming and modernising the way taxpayers interact with its services, while also making tax easier to understand and simpler to engage with.

The department highlights how its top-ranked app has been used by 7.6 million people in 2025 to 2026 – up 28 per cent on the previous year, with user experience improved in recent months.

HMRC has an ambitious target to reach 10 million users by April 2027.

That means one-in-seven Pay As You Earn (PAYE) taxpayers have now used HMRC app to check their pay before it lands in their bank accounts, allowing them to plan and understand their finances better.

The HMRC app is driving the digital-first agenda.

It allows customers to check their pay before pay day and check their National Insurance number, tax code, income and benefits, and users can make Self Assessment payments, track letters, get tax estimates and more.

The number of letters HMRC has issued to customers has reduced by 15 million in the last 3 years and call waiting times have almost halved over the last two years, down to an average of around 12-and-a-half minutes.

The department has committed to reducing the number of postal letters issued by up to 75 per cent by 2028 to 2029, saving £50 million a year and giving customers faster, simpler ways to manage their tax.

More than 350,000 sole traders and landlords have already signed up to MTD for Income Tax.

Launched in April 2026, it is the most significant change to how many customers interact with the tax system in 30 years.

JP Marks, HMRC’s chief executive and first permanent secretary, said: “This roadmap updates on the progress we have made in year one of HMRC’s transformation and openly sets out our plans for the future.

“We are determined to go further, transforming digital customer experiences and strengthening our foundations for a more modern and secure tax, customs and valuation system.

“We are answering phones faster, collecting more debt, with tax receipts and HMRC yield up at record levels, with more to come.

“We remain focussed on delivering an improved service for our customers and bringing in the revenue that underpins the vital public services on which we all depend, and I hope this roadmap helps explain the progress we have made, and our next steps.”

The roadmap update also highlights how HMRC is investing in AI technologies to identify non-compliance earlier and more precisely.

Several private sector organisations are currently on a 12-month programme to test AI-driven solutions to tackle non-compliance and help close the tax gap.

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