Does HMRC send text messages?

Yes. HMRC publishes its current text campaigns on GOV.UK. Compare the subject and dates with that official guidance, then verify through a contact route you find independently. A familiar sender name or a convincing message is not proof of who sent it.

Can a genuine HMRC text contain a link?

Yes. HMRC says some texts can link to GOV.UK information or webchat, and its feedback survey can link to a survey platform. The listed P800 and Self Assessment refund messages do not contain website links. A link alone is not a reliable verdict: open GOV.UK yourself and check the particular campaign.

Is the October 2026 Self Assessment overdue text genuine?

HMRC lists an overdue-tax text campaign for 5–9 October 2026. It directs recipients to check their online account but contains no website link. Scammers can copy the subject and timing, so sign in independently instead of acting through the message.

Will HMRC text me about a tax refund?

HMRC lists both Self Assessment repayment updates and P800 refund notices. Neither listed campaign asks for personal or financial information or includes a website link. Check a refund through your tax account or official guidance reached independently.

How do I check if a text from HMRC is genuine?

Use the official campaign list linked below to check the message type and dates. Do not treat a matching name, logo or campaign as proof. If unsure, find the relevant HMRC service or contact details on GOV.UK yourself; do not rely on the link or callback number in the text.

What number does HMRC text from?

The guidance describes branded messages showing HM Revenue and Customs, its logo and verified sender information on supported devices. Unsupported devices can receive a standard text instead. That does not give you a universal sender-number test for every message. Check the campaign and contact HMRC independently if unsure.

How do I report a fake HMRC text?

Forward suspicious HMRC texts to 60599; network charges may apply. Forward suspicious emails to phishing@hmrc.gov.uk. You can also forward suspicious texts to your mobile provider on 7726 for free. If you disclosed payment details or lost money, contact your bank immediately using a trusted number.

I entered my details on a fake HMRC page. What now?

Act on what you exposed. If you entered card or banking information, call your bank using the number on your card. If you shared a password, change it through the genuine service from a trusted device and change it anywhere you reused it. Tell HMRC about compromised tax-account access through its official contact routes. Be wary of anyone promising to recover money for an upfront fee.

UK · DOES IT TEXT YOU? · THE CALENDARUpdated 6 October 2026 · 9 min read

Genuine HMRC texts: check the message before you act.

HMRC does send texts, including refund updates and overdue-tax reminders. That gives impersonators a believable starting point. Compare the message with the published campaign, then check the matter through HMRC independently.

6 Oct

official guidance checked in 2026

5–9 Oct

2026 Self Assessment overdue text campaign

60599

HMRC's number for forwarding suspicious texts

14 Dec 2026

when the current debt recovery campaign ends

The short answer

Yes, HMRC sends genuine texts. Some can contain links. HMRC’s guidance distinguishes information and survey links from refund messages that must not contain links. It says texts will not request personal or financial information. Check the particular campaign, then verify independently. The latest additions include Self Assessment overdue texts for 5–9 October 2026 and VAT registration updates from 5 October. A matching sender or subject does not authenticate the message.

"HMRC will never ask for personal or financial information when we send text messages."
HM Revenue and Customs, GOV.UK guidance "Check if a text message you've received from HMRC is genuine", checked 6 October 2026. The same page is where HMRC adds and retires its campaigns.

A refund message and a survey invitation have different rules. Treating every link as proof of fraud can misclassify genuine contact; treating every familiar-looking message as safe can expose you to an impersonator. Use the campaign details as a check, not permission to trust the sender.

Genuine HMRC text campaigns: October 2026 checks

The official HMRC text-message guidance was updated on 5 October 2026. The table puts the latest additions first. HMRC also links to guidance covering contact through more than one channel; absence from this table alone does not prove fraud.

The calendar · genuine HMRC text campaignsGOV.UK, updated 5 Oct 2026 · checked 6 Oct 2026

Self Assessment tax overdue

5 to 9 Oct 2026

check your account for overdue tax; no website links

VAT registration updates

from 5 Oct 2026

application progress or a reminder to answer an email or letter; no website links

Retirement annuity relief

from 29 Sep 2026

review contributions on your 2024–25 return and correct errors; no website links

International debt

21 Sep 2026 to 19 Mar 2027

check your account and search GOV.UK for non-resident payment enquiries

P800 tax refunds

added 24 Aug 2026

a refund is due after a letter went unanswered; no personal details requested, no link

Debt recovery

15 Jun to 14 Dec 2026

a missing payment, a credit on the account, or a hold with a bank

Child Benefit

updated 7 May 2026

claim received, extension requests, opt-in and opt-out confirmations, account changes

PAYE and Self Assessment complaints

from 27 Apr 2026

the status of a complaint review, and that a call is coming

PAYE Settlement Agreement

from 28 Feb 2026

a summary after a helpline call, and how long a query will take

Corporation Tax

added 5 Feb 2026

a summary after a helpline call, confirmation a query is being processed, timescales

Fast parcel operator drivers

from 18 Jun 2025

confirmation of an interview letter, appointment reminders

Self Assessment tax refunds

added 25 Mar 2025

a refund is being processed and when the payment will arrive

Self Assessment penalty appeals

standing

an appeal is under review, and when to expect the outcome

Confirmation and update messages

standing

a claim, form or letter has been received

Post-contact surveys

standing

a feedback request after a call or a compliance check

Branded messages

standing

shown as HM Revenue and Customs, with the HMRC logo and verified sender information

Selected campaigns and message formats checked against HMRC’s guidance on 6 October 2026. This is a comparison aid, not authentication of a particular message. Check the linked official list for additions and changes.

A date window is useful context, not proof of origin. Criminals can copy a real campaign while it is running. Find the relevant HMRC service on GOV.UK yourself if a message concerns a debt, refund or application.

Two recreated phone screens side by side. Left, a genuine-shaped HMRC text branded as HM Revenue and Customs confirms that a Self Assessment repayment is being processed and says HMRC will not ask for personal or financial details. Right, a fake from a mobile number says a tax refund of £312.60 is waiting and gives a link, with the dot replaced by brackets so it cannot be tapped. — Recreated examples, not screenshots of real messages. The genuine one is a recreation of the shape GOV.UK describes for the Self Assessment refund campaign, not HMRC's verbatim wording. The fake follows the refund-with-a-link message GOV.UK shows on its phishing examples page. The link is inert.

Can genuine HMRC texts contain links?

Yes. A GOV.UK information link, a webchat link and a survey invitation are not the same as a refund link requesting your bank details. Check the rules for the named campaign rather than judging every text by one shortcut.

A message can resemble genuine contact and still be fraudulent. Do not send sensitive information in reply. If you need to act, find the official service independently instead of following instructions from an unverified sender.

How to check an HMRC text without trusting the sender

—Compare the purpose and dates. Use the official campaign guidance linked above. A vague reference to tax or a copied logo is not enough.

—Choose your own route to HMRC. Open the official app or GOV.UK yourself. For an issue you cannot find in your account, locate the relevant HMRC contact service there.

—Keep the message for reporting. Do not use its callback number to authenticate it. Forward suspicious contact to the reporting routes below.

From the field. A convincing message gives you a reason to believe. Independent verification gives you a reason to act. Keep those two decisions separate.

Not seeing an issue in your online account is not a final verdict. Different HMRC services use different channels. If the matter is unclear, find the relevant contact details on GOV.UK rather than returning to the unexpected message.

A message claiming to be from another department needs a different check. Our guide to DVLA, DWP and NHS texts brings those organisations’ published contact rules together alongside HMRC’s.

Where to send a bogus one, and why each route matters

—60599, HMRC's own number for suspicious texts. Forward the message as it arrived. HMRC notes that network charges apply. This is how HMRC learns which lures are running and gets the lookalike sites taken down.

—phishing@hmrc.gov.uk, for suspicious emails. The same team; attach or forward the email rather than retyping it.

—7726, free, to your network. Forwarding to 7726 (it spells SPAM) goes to your mobile operator, which can investigate and act on abusive messages.

—Report Fraud, if you lost money or entered details. Action Fraud was replaced by Report Fraud in December 2025. Our UK reporting guide has the current map, and explains when the UK authorised push payment reimbursement rules may apply.

If you already tapped, or already typed

1.Call your bank on the number on your card and say exactly what you entered on the page. Ask them to watch the account or reissue the card.
2.If you disclosed a password, change it through the genuine service from a trusted device, including anywhere you reused it. Review the account’s available security settings.
3.Forward the text to 60599 and 7726, then report the fraud to Report Fraud if money moved or details were taken.
4.Check what the money route was. Card disputes and bank-transfer reimbursement have different eligibility rules; whether a bank refunds scammed money depends on which one you have.
5.Expect the second call. Anyone who contacts you afterwards offering to recover the money for a fee is running the recovery scam.

A familiar sender is a starting point, not a conclusion. Verify the matter through a route you chose yourself.