1 May: The first element of HMRC’s new trust registration service has been released, allowing details of trusts already registered to be updated.

HMRC is developing a new trust registration service to provide more functionality and a better user experience than the current registration iform. As a first step HMRC has launched the functionality to allow amendments to trust registration details.

This service is available to agents, but involves additional authorisation steps as set out in the August 2019 edition of the Trusts and Estates newsletter.  These steps include a trustee setting up a digital tax account for the trust and confirming the agent authority digitally. 

There have been lengthy discussions between the professional bodies and HMRC about the difficulties that ‘digital handshakes’ by clients in HMRC digital services create but, as yet, there is no resolution. However, for the trust registration service the digital handshake to authorise the agent is required.

The current iform services for trustees and agents to newly register a trust remain unchanged, but the new service to register trusts is available in private beta. 

Agents or trustees who would like to trial the replacement registration service can so by emailing service_team17.digital_ddcn@digital.hmrc.gov.uk.