Late start
The request waits until somebody needs access for live work.
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HMRC & Companies House
Agent Authorisation Delays: How to Get Client Access Faster
The work is ready to start, but the authority is not. Treat authorisation as a day-one onboarding dependency, not an admin task for later.
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Quick answer
Start HMRC authorisation on day one, choose the correct route for the tax and service, give the client precise instructions, track any code or digital-handshake expiry, and follow up before it becomes urgent. Different services use different routes. Remindoo can organise requests and chasers, but it does not obtain authority or connect to HMRC.
You’re not alone: why does this feel so frustrating?
Nothing makes onboarding feel slower than discovering, weeks later, that the firm cannot see what it needs. The client believes appointing an accountant was the whole process; the team assumes the code is on its way.
HMRC authorisation is not one universal route. Digital handshake, online authorisation and paper forms have different uses. The process must follow current HMRC guidance for the specific service.
Why does this keep happening in accounting firms?
Wrong route
A method is used without checking whether it covers the relevant tax or service.
Unclear client instructions
The client receives a generic request and does not recognise the expected letter or digital step.
No expiry tracking
A code or link expires while everybody assumes somebody else has acted.
What is this costing your firm?
Delayed agent authorisation consumes partner attention that should be spent on judgement, relationships and developing the team. The hidden cost is context switching: a five-minute interruption often breaks a much longer block of concentrated work.
Unclear ownership creates duplicated effort. One person assumes somebody else has acted, another repeats the chase, and the partner becomes the unofficial control system. That is exhausting and difficult to scale.
Client trust can also erode. Clients rarely see the internal cause; they see slow answers, inconsistent messages or last-minute requests. A reliable process protects the relationship even when the underlying issue is outside the firm's control.
How do you reduce HMRC agent authorisation delays?
- 1
List the authorities needed
Map each tax and HMRC service required for the agreed scope.
- 2
Check the current HMRC route
Use the current official guidance because routes and service coverage change. [VERIFY] the selected route before issuing instructions.
- 3
Start on day one
Make authorisation an onboarding dependency with a named owner.
- 4
Give exact client instructions
Explain what they will receive, what action to take, the expiry date and how to tell you it is complete.
- 5
Track codes and follow-ups
Set a chase before expiry and record when the client says they acted.
- 6
Confirm access before relying on it
Do not mark the step complete until the relevant access is visible.
How do you make the change stick in a busy practice?
A sensible fix can still fail when it is announced as a new rule and left to compete with client work. Treat the change as a small operational project. Give it an owner, a start date, a review date and a clear definition of success. Test it with a representative group before asking the whole firm to change at once.
1. Put “list the authorities needed” into daily practice
Map each tax and HMRC service required for the agreed scope. Write down who owns this step, what evidence shows it happened and when an exception must be escalated. Ask one person who performs the work and one person who reviews it to test the wording. If they interpret it differently, the process is not yet clear enough.
2. Put “check the current hmrc route” into daily practice
Use the current official guidance because routes and service coverage change. [VERIFY] the selected route before issuing instructions. Write down who owns this step, what evidence shows it happened and when an exception must be escalated. Ask one person who performs the work and one person who reviews it to test the wording. If they interpret it differently, the process is not yet clear enough.
3. Put “start on day one” into daily practice
Make authorisation an onboarding dependency with a named owner. Write down who owns this step, what evidence shows it happened and when an exception must be escalated. Ask one person who performs the work and one person who reviews it to test the wording. If they interpret it differently, the process is not yet clear enough.
4. Put “give exact client instructions” into daily practice
Explain what they will receive, what action to take, the expiry date and how to tell you it is complete. Write down who owns this step, what evidence shows it happened and when an exception must be escalated. Ask one person who performs the work and one person who reviews it to test the wording. If they interpret it differently, the process is not yet clear enough.
5. Put “track codes and follow-ups” into daily practice
Set a chase before expiry and record when the client says they acted. Write down who owns this step, what evidence shows it happened and when an exception must be escalated. Ask one person who performs the work and one person who reviews it to test the wording. If they interpret it differently, the process is not yet clear enough.
6. Put “confirm access before relying on it” into daily practice
Do not mark the step complete until the relevant access is visible. Write down who owns this step, what evidence shows it happened and when an exception must be escalated. Ask one person who performs the work and one person who reviews it to test the wording. If they interpret it differently, the process is not yet clear enough.
What should partners ask at the weekly review?
Keep the review short and evidence-led. Ask what is waiting, who owns the next action, which internal date is at risk, what the client has been told and whether the same exception has appeared before. The purpose is not to inspect every keystroke. It is to remove ambiguity while there is still time to act.
- Which item has no clear next owner?
- Which promised date is most at risk?
- What are we waiting for from outside the firm?
- Has the client received an accurate update?
- Is this an isolated case or a repeated process failure?
- What decision needs partner judgement today?
What does a realistic 90-day improvement plan look like?
Days 1–30: establish the baseline. Review recent examples, speak to the people doing the work and identify the smallest repeated failure worth fixing. Agree one rule and one owner. Do not redesign the whole practice while the team is still trying to describe the problem.
Days 31–60: run the new process on live work. Record exceptions rather than quietly working around them. Check whether staff can find the right client context, whether dates are realistic and whether the client communication matches what the firm can deliver.
Days 61–90: review the evidence with the team. Keep what improved control, simplify what created administration and stop anything that merely moved the problem elsewhere. Document the final process, decide how it will be monitored and schedule the next review.
Where can Remindoo help—and where can’t it?
Remindoo can make each authorisation request, chase and confirmation a visible onboarding step.
Client onboarding automation
Standardise requests, checks and first services.
See featureDetailed task creation
Set priority, assignee and deadline on every job.
See featureAutomated reminders
Timely prompts before work becomes urgent.
See featureEmail templates
Standard client messages ready to send.
See featureClient notes
Context the whole team can find.
See featureWhat Remindoo doesn’t do here: Remindoo does not request HMRC authority, generate authorisation codes or confirm HMRC access.
Talk through the problem with us
A practical 30-minute walkthrough using your firm’s current process.
What can you change today without buying software?
Start with a written rule for HMRC agent authorisation delay. Define what good looks like, who owns the next action, when it must happen and when the issue moves to a partner. Keep the rule short enough that the team will actually use it.
- Choose one owner for every next action
- Use a visible internal deadline
- Record the decision and the reason
- Review exceptions weekly, not only after something goes wrong
How do you know the fix is working?
Use a small set of operational measures that prompt a conversation rather than create a league table. Look at ageing, missed internal dates, repeated rework and work waiting without a named owner. Review the trend with the people doing the work and fix the process before blaming individuals.
Frequently asked questions
Can software solve agent authorisation delays on its own?
No. Software can make ownership, dates and evidence visible, but the firm still needs clear policies, judgement and consistent follow-through.
Where should a small practice start?
Choose one recurring problem, write down the current process, assign one owner and test a simpler version for four weeks before changing everything else.
Which HMRC authorisation route should I use?
It depends on the tax and service. Check HMRC's current guidance; one route does not necessarily cover every service.
Does the Income Record Viewer handshake authorise an agent to speak to HMRC?
HMRC states that this handshake alone does not provide authority to speak to HMRC; separate authorisation may still be needed.
Can VAT use Online Agent Authorisation?
HMRC says Online Agent Authorisation stopped covering VAT authorisations from 16 February 2024. Check current guidance before acting.
What if a code never arrives?
Check the address and route, follow HMRC's current instructions and restart or use an alternative permitted route where appropriate.
Related challenges and practical guides
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Sources
Last updated: . General guidance, not legal, tax, medical or regulatory advice. Check current primary guidance and take appropriate professional advice.
Why recording every task matters in an accountancy practice
Accounting firms run on deadlines: VAT returns, payroll, confirmation statements, accounts and Self Assessment. Recording every job as a task, with an owner and a date, is the simplest way to make sure nothing is missed.
Avoid penalties
HMRC and Companies House charge penalties for late filing. A task for every deadline, with an internal date before it, gives the team a buffer.
Nothing depends on memory
Recorded tasks mean work continues when someone is off sick, on leave or has left the firm.
Consistent quality
Subtask checklists make every job follow the same steps and reviews, whoever does the work.
Visibility for managers
Filters by owner, status and deadline show at a glance what is late, what is due and who needs help.
Practical tips from UK practice
- Set an internal deadline two to four weeks before every statutory deadline.
- Use recurring tasks for repeat work such as VAT, payroll and bookkeeping.
- Break larger jobs into subtasks, including a review step.
- Comment on the task instead of by email, so the history stays with the work.
Related Remindoo features
Written and reviewed by Waqas Sagar ACA FCCA FMAAT, Chartered Accountant with 18+ years in practice. Founder and MD of Accotax, an ICAEW, ACCA and AAT regulated London practice that has served over 5,000 clients, and founder of Remindoo. Guidance is general; check current GOV.UK and professional body guidance for your firm.
What UK practices say about Remindoo
Read all reviews on Trustpilot“With Remindoo, everything from the first enquiry to onboarding and ongoing client management is tracked in one place… It saves us hours and gives me, as a practice owner, complete visibility of where the firm stands.”
“The biggest benefit is having clients, tasks, deadlines, workflows, proposals and communication all organised in one place.”
“During my trial, the team were absolutely amazing. They helped onboard my clients, set up my settings and made sure everything was ready for me to use… they made the whole process completely stress-free.”
“It brings client information, tasks, recurring deadlines, workflows and reminders together in one place, giving us much better visibility across the team.”
