Request your company UTR from HMRC
Ask HMRC to post a copy of the company's tax reference to its registered office.
Opening your form…
- Registered ACSPRegistered with Companies House
- ICO registeredData protection
- Anti-money laundering supervisedAML supervisedMoney laundering checks
- Your details kept privateEncrypted and stored securely
How it works: Request a company UTR
Find your company
Search by name or number. We fill in the public details.
Answer the questions
Answer only what the register cannot tell us.
Pay by card
Approve the details and pay the total shown.
We request the UTR copy
We ask HMRC to post a copy of the UTR to the registered office.
What you’ll need
The form asks for the following. Questions that only apply to some companies appear when they are relevant, and details we can take from the public register are filled in for you.
- Can you receive post at the registered office shown above?
- Was the company recently set up and is its first UTR letter still on the way?
About this filing
If you have lost your company UTR, check old HMRC letters, the business tax account and your accountant first.
If you still cannot find it, HMRC will post a copy to the registered office, with no HMRC fee. The UTR (Unique Taxpayer Reference) is the 10-digit Corporation Tax reference HMRC gives a limited company, and HMRC asks for it on Company Tax Returns and in most other Corporation Tax dealings.
Read more
We can make the copy request for you.
Lost company UTR number? Where to look first
GOV.UK says you can find a company’s UTR on previous tax returns and other HMRC documents. It is sometimes called a ‘tax reference’. Have a careful look before asking for a copy, because a copy only comes by post.
- The first letter HMRC sent after the company was set up. It goes to the registered office address.
- A notice to file a Company Tax Return, a payment reminder or a previous Corporation Tax Return.
- The company’s HMRC business tax account, if someone has already added Corporation Tax services to it.
- Your current or previous accountant. If they filed tax returns for the company, they will normally have the UTR on file.
- Post held by a formation agent or a registered office address provider, if you use one.
See also: Where to find your company UTR
UTR, company number and VAT number: which is which?
These three numbers are easy to mix up. Check you are giving HMRC the right one.
- Company UTR: 10 digits, issued by HMRC for Corporation Tax. It is private and not shown on the public register.
- Company registration number: issued by Companies House when the company is formed. It is shown on the public register and on your certificate of incorporation.
- VAT registration number: issued by HMRC only if the company registers for VAT. VAT invoices must show it.
- A director’s personal Self Assessment UTR is also 10 digits, but it belongs to the person, not the company. Do not use it on company tax filings.
Company UTR not received? How long to wait
GOV.UK says you will usually get a UTR by post around 15 days after you register. For a newly registered company, the company set-up guidance says you can request it online if it has not arrived 15 working days after registration. Check that someone is collecting post at the registered office. A copy is sent by post, rather than supplied instantly.
HMRC does not publish a fixed time for a copy to arrive. Allow for normal post, and make sure someone is checking post at the registered office while you wait.
Why the letter may have gone somewhere else
HMRC sends the company UTR to the registered office address held by Companies House. It cannot be emailed, and it cannot be sent to a different address you choose. HMRC says it uses post to keep your details secure.
If the registered office has changed, the original letter may have gone to the old address. Common examples are a formation agent’s address used at set-up, an accountant’s office you no longer use, or a home address you have moved from.
If you can no longer receive post at the address on the register, update the registered office with Companies House first. A copy sent to an address you cannot reach will not help.
Requesting a copy of your company UTR, step by step
You do not need to authorise us as your HMRC agent for this request, and you should never send us your Government Gateway password.
We do not receive the UTR, cannot email it to you and cannot speed up HMRC’s post.
- Check the places listed above. A copy only comes by post, so a careful search is often quicker.
- Confirm you can receive post at the registered office shown on the Companies House register. If you cannot, change the registered office first.
- Find your company on SimpleFilings and tell us whether it was set up recently. We check the details against HMRC’s rules before you pay, and tell you if the request cannot be made yet.
- We make the request through HMRC’s public copy-UTR service, using the company registration number and registered company name.
- HMRC posts the UTR directly to the registered office. Watch the post there until it arrives.
When a Corporation Tax UTR request cannot be made
- The company was registered less than 15 working days ago and its first UTR letter is still on the way.
- The company has been closed or dissolved.
- The company has been struck off and is no longer on the Companies House register.
- The company has changed to a different type of organisation and is no longer a registered company.
- The organisation is not registered with Companies House at all, such as a club or unincorporated association.
What this service does not include
This request only asks HMRC for a copy of an existing company UTR. It does not register the company for Corporation Tax, tell HMRC the company has started trading, change the registered office or find a director’s personal Self Assessment UTR.
If the company has started business activity, it must tell HMRC within 3 months of the start of its first Corporation Tax accounting period. Use our Corporation Tax registration service for that. If the registered office is out of date, use our registered office change service before asking for a copy.
See also: Register for Corporation Tax
Common company UTR mistakes
- Entering the company registration number or VAT number where HMRC asks for the UTR.
- Using a director’s personal UTR on a Company Tax Return or VAT application.
- Requesting a copy while the registered office still points to an old address you cannot access.
- Asking for a copy for a company set up a few days ago, before the original letter has had time to arrive.
- Paying a site that says it can email you the UTR. HMRC only sends it by post to the registered office.
File it yourself or use SimpleFilings
You can always file directly with HMRC. Here is how that compares with using SimpleFilings.
| Question | File it yourself | Use SimpleFilings |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | No fee | £4.99 (no HMRC fee) |
| Who fills in the form | You complete the HMRC form yourself. Official guidance | We request the postal UTR copy from the details you confirm. |
| Approval | You submit it yourself | You confirm you are authorised and approve the details before we submit |
What this request covers
After a valid request, HMRC posts the UTR to the registered address held by Companies House. We cannot email you the UTR or choose a different delivery address.
Before you start
- The company must be eligible for HMRC's public copy-UTR request route and able to receive post at its registered office.
- This public request does not require HMRC agent authorisation or your Government Gateway password.
What is not included
Registering for Corporation Tax, changing the registered office or obtaining a personal Self Assessment UTR. Closed, dissolved or struck-off companies cannot use this request route.
Fees
£4.99 SimpleFilings service fee. HMRC does not charge for a copy of a Corporation Tax UTR. You can also request a copy yourself, free, through HMRC’s online service.
£4.99 SimpleFilings service fee. There is no HMRC application fee. Tax, penalties and other outstanding amounts are separate.
Total: £4.99. There is no HMRC fee for this request.
Step by step
- Find your company. Find your company by name or number. We fill in its public details from the Companies House register, such as the registered office, officers and people with significant control.
- Answer the questions. Answer only the questions we cannot fill in from the register, add any documents asked for and give the email address for your receipt and filing updates. Confirm that you are authorised to arrange the request and that you have checked and approve the details.
- Pay by card. Approve the details and pay the total shown by secure card payment. We check your answers before preparing the filing. There is no HMRC fee for this request.
- We request the UTR copy. We use HMRC’s public copy-UTR request route. No Government Gateway password or HMRC agent authorisation is needed for this request. HMRC posts the copy to the registered office; the request does not provide an instant UTR or guarantee an arrival date.
Official sources
Request a company UTR: common questions
Where should I look before ordering a copy?
A copy only comes by post, so check old HMRC letters, the business tax account and your accountant first. Our guide to finding your company UTR lists the places to look.
Can I get a copy of my company UTR by email?
No. HMRC’s copy-UTR service sends it by post only, to the company’s registered address on Companies House. HMRC says this keeps your details secure. We cannot email it to you either.
What do you need from me to request a copy?
Confirmation that you can receive post at the registered office and whether the company was set up recently. We make the request with the registered company name and number, so we do not need your Government Gateway password or HMRC agent authorisation.
I set up my company recently. Why can’t I request a copy?
Wait for the first letter at the registered office. GOV.UK’s company set-up guidance says you can request the company UTR online if it has not arrived 15 working days after registration. A copy request does not provide an instant number or guaranteed delivery date.
Is there an HMRC fee to get a copy of my Corporation Tax UTR?
No. HMRC does not charge, and you can request a copy yourself through HMRC’s online service. The £4.99 SimpleFilings fee is only for us making and checking the request for you.
Can I get a UTR for a dissolved or struck-off company?
Not through this request. HMRC’s copy service cannot be used for companies that are closed, dissolved, struck off or no longer on the Companies House register.