What is a Personal Tax Account and what can I do with it?

Full answer

The Personal Tax Account (PTA) is HMRC's secure online dashboard for individuals, accessed via your HMRC online services account with a Government Gateway user ID or by verifying your identity. It brings together most of your dealings with HMRC so you do not have to phone or write for routine tasks. It is free and available to most UK taxpayers, including employees, pensioners and the self-employed. What you can typically do: check and update your tax code so PAYE deductions are correct; see an estimate of the Income Tax you will pay this year; view your National Insurance record and gaps, which matters for the State Pension; get a State Pension forecast (the full new State Pension is GBP 241.30 a week, about GBP 12,548 a year, for 2026/27, subject to your NI record); check or claim a tax refund; manage tax credits or report changes; tell HMRC about a change of address or name; and access services such as Marriage Allowance and certain reliefs. Who it helps: if your tax code looks wrong - for example you have started a new job, have two incomes, or a benefit in kind has changed - the PTA lets you check and trigger a correction, which can stop you over- or under-paying through PAYE. The self-employed can also use related HMRC online services for Self Assessment, though that is a separate filing process. A worked use case: suppose you think you have overpaid tax because your code was wrong for part of the year. In the PTA you can view your income and tax paid, see HMRC's calculation, and request any refund due. For checking the underlying numbers yourself - your expected take-home pay, Income Tax or NI - use a take-home pay or income tax calculator alongside the account. The PTA shows HMRC's figures but does not replace your responsibility to check them. If something looks wrong, correct your details promptly so your tax code and deductions stay accurate for the rest of the year.

Try the calculator