Can't Log in to HMRC

Jeremy535897

Glad my suggestion worked then.

 I suggest you go to the Post Office as soon as possible and get the driver's licence renewed, so that Experian's records can be updated.

dogvomitsnore

Yes you did. You were right. Thank you. I thought I would have to wait until the licence arrived in the post but going on line and doing a licence check showed it was done the day I went in the post office.  The fact remains though that without that licence, I would (and did) find it very difficult to prove my identity.  I really feel for anybody who doesn't have a licence or a passport.

Yahoo_Mail

dogvomitsnore said:

Yes you did. You were right. Thank you. I thought I would have to wait until the licence arrived in the post but going on line and doing a licence check showed it was done the day I went in the post office.  The fact remains though that without that licence, I would (and did) find it very difficult to prove my identity.  I really feel for anybody who doesn't have a licence or a passport.

I'm not sure GOV.Verify is actually required by any government service, is it?  It isn't for HMRC related stuff and as I understand it it's pretty much on the way out.  I know they were planning on it being a universal identity for all things Government but it's becoming less and less relevant as time goes on.

It's also not required for the grant, even if you're using GOV.Verify presently. In fact, you have to have a Government Gateway ID to apply for the SEISS grants, I had to set a new one up to apply because I'd got rid of mine after signing up for the Verify system years ago.

p00hsticks

dogvomitsnore said:

The fact remains though that without that licence, I would (and did) find it very difficult to prove my identity.  I really feel for anybody who doesn't have a licence or a passport.

As someone in this situation (and with no mortgage and little use of credit, meaning I can't now pass any of the Verify options) , I agree to some extent, but - at least at present - I've never come across anything that I've been completely excluded from. I can't access my tax account online because of it, so have to resort to communicating with HMRC via phone or letter if required.

Passports and (full) driving licences have now become defacto ID cards in this country, but are expensive and time consuming to obtain if all you need them for is for ID.

MattMattMattUK

p00hsticks said:

Passports and (full) driving licences have now become defacto ID cards in this country, but are expensive and time consuming to obtain if all you need them for is for ID.

Whilst a driving license may be somewhat expensive once you factor in the requirement of needing to learn to drive, the actual cost of the license is low and a renewal is only £14. A passport is only £75.50 and lasts for ten years, so not expensive overall and work out very cheap when amortised. It may be slow with Covid for a first passport, but in normal times it is only a few weeks and renewals seem to be happening in a few weeks at most even in current circumstances. 

Overall it would be far easier if we just issued ID cards as nearly all other European countries do.

dogvomitsnore

Just to clarify. Verify (Experian) would not let me sign in without my licence.  Gateway wouldn't let me sign in without my licence. A day of phone calls and I was able to sign in to view my account and pay my tax bill but NOT claim my grant. To do that I needed my licence. I went to post office on Monday. Licence was online Thursday and I received it in the post today. Yes. An I.d would make life so much easier.

unholyangel

MattMattMattUK said:

p00hsticks said:

Passports and (full) driving licences have now become defacto ID cards in this country, but are expensive and time consuming to obtain if all you need them for is for ID.

Whilst a driving license may be somewhat expensive once you factor in the requirement of needing to learn to drive, the actual cost of the license is low and a renewal is only £14. A passport is only £75.50 and lasts for ten years, so not expensive overall and work out very cheap when amortised. It may be slow with Covid for a first passport, but in normal times it is only a few weeks and renewals seem to be happening in a few weeks at most even in current circumstances. 

Overall it would be far easier if we just issued ID cards as nearly all other European countries do.

We used to, but not enough people used the service. Probably because they already had a passport or driving licence and didn't see the point of paying for the ID card, which was far more expensive than a driving licence. 

Remember, you don't need to take any lessons or pass any tests to hold a driving licence...it will just be a provisional driving licence  

Jeremy535897

unholyangel said:

MattMattMattUK said:

p00hsticks said:

Passports and (full) driving licences have now become defacto ID cards in this country, but are expensive and time consuming to obtain if all you need them for is for ID.

Whilst a driving license may be somewhat expensive once you factor in the requirement of needing to learn to drive, the actual cost of the license is low and a renewal is only £14. A passport is only £75.50 and lasts for ten years, so not expensive overall and work out very cheap when amortised. It may be slow with Covid for a first passport, but in normal times it is only a few weeks and renewals seem to be happening in a few weeks at most even in current circumstances. 

Overall it would be far easier if we just issued ID cards as nearly all other European countries do.

We used to, but not enough people used the service. Probably because they already had a passport or driving licence and didn't see the point of paying for the ID card, which was far more expensive than a driving licence. 

Remember, you don't need to take any lessons or pass any tests to hold a driving licence...it will just be a provisional driving licence  

Back to the Post Office again, though, for an application, as you'll struggle online (I think a passport is required). The DVSA might wonder why you keep applying to renew it every 10 years, and at age 70...

Tony Blair wanted ID cards, and the public scoffed at the idea. Nowadays people talk seriously about needing something in the future to prove you have had a coronavirus jab. It's hard to see how that could be independent of ID.

dogvomitsnore

The time must be coming when an i.d card could be issued to people who cannot used other forms of i.d.  It doesn't have to be compulsory. It would make life so much easier. Without my driving licence I was having to phone up HMRC and wait in a queue for up to 50 minutes. With my licence, it took be less than 5.  All credit to the post office. I applied on Monday and it came today Friday. Even better, it was online within 2 days.
My partner doesn't have a licence or a passport. She resorted to applying for a U.K citizen card.  I can't remember just why she needed it but I know whatever it was for, it wasn't good enough evidence!

Mrs_Ryan

I have a provisional licence and I’ve never had a problem using it for ID.