Are your HMRC addresses up-to-date?

HMRC maintains separate addresses for different tax services, and it’s essential that each one is kept up-to-date. Many clients mistakenly believe that updating one address will automatically update all their HMRC records, but this is not the case.

Different Taxes = Different Addresses

HMRC operates multiple departments that handle various taxes, and each maintains its own address records:

Corporation Tax – The address where HMRC sends corporation tax-related correspondence
VAT – The principal place of business for VAT purposes
PAYE – The address for employer-related communications
Self Assessment – The personal address for individual tax matters
Pension Provider – A separate address where your pension correspondence is sent to.
Pension Regulator – The address that the pensions regulator corresponds with you.

The Only Connection: Companies House and Corporation Tax

The only automatic address linkage in the HMRC system is between Companies House and Corporation Tax. When you update your registered office address at Companies House, this information is shared with HMRC’s Corporation Tax department. However, this change does not cascade to other tax services.

Important: Updating your registered office address at Companies House will only update your Corporation Tax address. All other tax addresses must be updated separately.

How to Update Your Address

There are two main ways to ensure your addresses are up-to-date:

1. Through Government Online Portals

You can update addresses yourself through the appropriate government portals:

Business Tax Account – For corporation tax, VAT, and PAYE (if your have a gateway account and have linked your taxes)
Companies House WebFiling – For your registered office address (if you know your authentication code)

2. Through Venn Accounts (for existing clients only and not onboarding clients)

If you prefer, Venn Accounts can assist with updating your addresses. Simply provide:

The tax service that needs updating (VAT, PAYE, etc.)
Your new address details
Confirmation of your authorisation for us to make this change

We charge our admin rate for these updates.

Why Address Updates Matter

Maintaining accurate addresses across all tax services is crucial for:

Timely receipt of notices – Including payment reminders and filing deadlines
Avoiding penalties – Late responses to communications sent to outdated addresses can result in penalties
Compliance – It’s a legal requirement to keep HMRC informed of your current address
Audit trails – Having clear records of where official communications are sent

Best Practices for Address Management

We recommend the following approach to ensure all your tax addresses remain current:

Create a checklist of all tax services you’re registered for
Review all addresses at least annually
Update addresses immediately after any business relocation
Keep records of when and how addresses were updated
Confirm receipt of communications at new addresses

If you change your office address regularly you may want to consider using Venn Accounts office address in partnership with The Hoxton Mix. Please contact us if this is of interest.

How Venn Accounts Can Help

As your accountants, we can:

Provide guidance on which addresses need updating
Assist with the update process
Verify that changes have been processed correctly
Help resolve any issues if HMRC communications are sent to incorrect addresses

Remember: It is ultimately the your responsibility to ensure all address records are kept up-to-date with HMRC and other government departments.

If you need assistance with updating your addresses or have any questions about your tax obligations, please don’t hesitate to contact the Venn Accounts team.