A UTR is a unique tax reference number provided by the HMRC to an organisation, individual, partnership, or company that enrols for Self Assessment. The number consists of 10 digits and is used by the HMRC to identify people and companies for tax purposes.
UTR Number: Do I Really Need One?
A Unique Taxpayer Reference number is essential for:
- Firms restricted by shares and/or guarantee
- Partnerships, which comprise LLPs
- Independent traders
- Partners forming a business partnership like LLP members
- Individuals who are self-employed
- Directors of Limited companies who generate income that is not taxed via PAYE
- Shareholders of Limited Companies who generate income through shares
- Public trusts and charities
- Executors and trustees of estates
- People who generate an annual income through a trust/settlement
- UK nationals earning taxable foreign revenue of more than £300 per year
- Landlords, along with other individuals earning rental income
- Ministers of Religion
- Financiers
- People earning a gross yearly income of at least £100,000
- Any person who claims expenditures of over £2,500
- Individuals in receipt of specific capital revenues
- Beneficiaries of Child Benefit payments having a yearly income of at least £50,000
- Construction Industry Scheme recipients
- Individuals receiving untaxed income, which comprises interest, not collected through PAYE
Steps For Getting Your UTR number
A UTR number is automatically issued by HMRC whenever someone registers a limited organisation or enrols for Self Assessment. You can expect your UTR to arrive via post withing fourteen working days of registering your company or ten working days (twenty-one days in case of address outside the UK) of enrolling for Self Assessment, although it may take longer at times.
The UTR number will be sent to the official address of your company or the address you provided while registering for Self Assessment. In addition, the letter you receive will offer guidance on the steps to follow next.
Company UTRs
Individuals who register a limited firm, either using an online broker or with Companies House directly, will be able to notify HMRC instantly. The UTR of your company will be instantly generated and posted to your official workplace. Hence, you will not need to apply for your UTR number exclusively.
After receiving your UTR number, you will be required to register your firm for Corporation Tax. This can be done online on the official HMRC website.
Private UTRs
Individuals who are directors of a company, partnership members, or people who are required to enrol for Self Assessment need to visit the official HMRC website and complete an online enrolment form (or print and complete the form and send it via post). They will not be able to pay tax through Self Assessment or file an individual tax return until they complete this process.
After registering for Self Assessment and getting their UTR, you have the option to register for a fresh online profile on the HMRC site and enrolling for the Self Assessment service.
Within a week of completing the process, HMRC will send an activation code through the post. After receiving the code, you can log into the Self Assessment site using your ID, and file tax returns and pay any tax which you may owe.
Locating Your Unique Taxpayer Reference number
The UTR for your limited organisation or for Self Assessment can be located in several places, including;
- The online Corporation Tax profile of your company
- The Self Assessment letter sent by HMRC
- The tax information letter sent by HMRC
Your Self Assessment profile - The activation code letter received from HMRC
- Account statement
- Former Self Assessment tax or Corporation Tax returns
- Other identical letters sent by HMRC
The UTR number might not be labelled as ‘UTR’; more often than not, you will see it being named as ‘Corporation Tax Reference’, or ‘Reference’. You can locate it in the top part of your HMRC correspondence page towards the right-hand side.
Individuals who are unable to login to their online account or locate any files which contain their UTR may get in touch with HMRC and request their UTR number. If you have a Limited Company, this can be done on the official site, while Self Assessment users may need to call HMRC directly.
Is It Possible To Request More Than One UTR Number At A Time?
You are restricted to a single UTR for use in Self Assessment as well as for use by a limited company.
Individuals who own a limited company and want to register for Self Assessment (being a shareholder or company director), can have 2 separate UTRs: one for personal use, for declaring and paying individual tax via Self Assessment, and another one for their company, for the purpose of Corporation Tax.
LLPs are required to register independently from every individual member of the LLP; the company is required to have an individual UTR, and each member will receive a separate UTR of their own.
Is There Any Difference Between A Company Registration Number And A UTR?
The Company Registration Number and UTR are two separate numbers that serve entirely different purposes. Hence, it is important not to confuse the two numbers!
A Company Registration Number is instantly generated and designated by Companies House each time a new LLP or limited firm is incorporated. The CRN is an 8 or 6 digit number, prefixed by two letters.
Individuals who have already set up an LLP or limited firm can locate their CRN on the Incorporation Certificate. It can also be found in the registered company information available through Companies House.
HMRC issues a UTR number for identifying a specific company, individual, or firm for the sole purpose of tax returns. A UTR is a 10 digit number.
Is A Vat Registration Number Another Name For UTR?
VRNs and UTRs are not the same numbers. A VRN consists of 9-digits and is added to a person’s VAT registration certificate.
HMRC may send a VRN within 30 business days after registration.
A VAT certificate is sent to a person’s online VAT account when they register on the official HMRC website. If a person registers through a broker or via post, they will receive a printed certificate from HMRC through the post.
