Editorial

HMRC to move to new digital ID system in 2023

HMRC reveals which users will be first to move to the new One Login for Government digital identity service

Posted 17 November 2022 by Christine Horton


HMRC is to move onto the new One Login for Government digital identity service in the summer of 2023.

Tom Skalycz, chief technology officer at HMRC, revealed the plans at the Think Digital Identity for Government event in London.

“The migration will be transactional, with users guided through the migration process when it comes to accessing HMRC services,” he explained.

“There won’t be an automated bulk migration. HMRC will first migrate individuals representing their own tax affairs such as users of our PTA (personal tax account). As GDS iterates and improves the One Login for Government offering, more complex user groups with migrate with business users likely to be the last to migrate where their use cases are supported.”

The single sign on function, where one user credential is reusable across all major government services, will replace the government gateway authentication currently in use at HMRC.

The identity verification function of One Login will replace HMRC’s internal online identity verification service. This will include overseas customers, which HMRC doesn’t currently support.

Where users have an existing verified identity with HMRC, Skalycz said “that confidence will migrate with the customer, removing the need for customers to pass through the full identity verification flow at the point of migration.

“Never has there been a time where the whole identity access management topic is as relevant for us, for giving a good user experience,” he added. Similarly, he said One Login was also key to helping reducing support calls from users.

Skalycz said no migration can occur until the service can meet all HMRC’s requirements of “an equivalent or better standard” than its existing services.

HMRC is an early adopter of the government’s identity checking app, which it has integrated into its identity verification service. The app allows people to use the camera on their smartphone or device to confirm and match efforts with photographic evidence, such as their driving licence.

“To date 33,500 people have successfully used it to prove their identity,” said Skalycz.

All government departments are to confirm an adoption strategy and roadmap for One Login for Government by April 2023, with their services to begin onboarding by 2025.

Register to hear Skalycz’s full presentation.