A mortgage broker, an accountant or an online form asks for your UTR, and you’re sure you’ve never seen it. Most people have, but it’s tucked away on a letter from HMRC or a screen in an online account they rarely open. If you’re asking “where can I find my UTR number?”, this guide lists every place to look, explains where the number isn’t shown, and covers company, partnership and trust UTRs as well as personal ones.
You can find your UTR in your HMRC online account (your Personal Tax Account), in the HMRC app, and on HMRC letters such as your Self Assessment welcome letter, notices to file a return and payment reminders. It’s also on past tax returns. A limited company’s UTR is on its Corporation Tax letters, or you can ask HMRC to post a copy.
- A UTR is a 10-digit number HMRC gives you when you register for Self Assessment, or when a company, partnership or trust is set up.
- The quickest places to check are your Personal Tax Account and the HMRC app.
- Payslips, P60s and P45s don’t show your UTR. They show your National Insurance number and your employer’s PAYE reference instead.
- A company’s UTR is posted to its registered office, and HMRC won’t give it out over the phone.
- If you’ve never registered for Self Assessment, you probably don’t have a UTR yet.
What a UTR Looks Like (So You Know It When You See It)
A Unique Taxpayer Reference is 10 digits long, for example 12345 67890, and is sometimes printed with a space in the middle. HMRC letters may call it your “tax reference”, “UTR” or “Self Assessment UTR”. When you pay a Self Assessment bill, the payment reference is your UTR with the letter K added at the end, according to GOV.UK’s payment guidance. So a reference ending in K on a statement is your UTR plus that letter.
Each person, company, partnership or trust has its own UTR. That’s why a company director often has two: one personal UTR for their own tax return, and the company’s UTR for Corporation Tax.
Why you’re being asked for it
People usually start asking where can I find my UTR number when someone else needs it. Common reasons include an accountant preparing your return, tax return software connecting to HMRC, a mortgage lender checking self-employed income, and a construction contractor verifying you under the Construction Industry Scheme before paying you. In each case, giving them the 10-digit number is enough. Never send login details or passwords along with it.
Where Can I Find My UTR Number? A Document-by-Document Guide
According to GOV.UK’s guidance on finding your UTR, it appears on previous tax returns and other documents from HMRC. These are the ones most people still have somewhere:
| Document | When you get it | Where to look |
|---|---|---|
| Self Assessment welcome letter (often called the SA250) | After you register for Self Assessment, usually around 15 days later by post | Near the top, labelled as your Unique Taxpayer Reference |
| Notice to file a tax return | Each spring if HMRC expects a return from you | In the reference details on the first page |
| Self Assessment statement or payment reminder | When a payment is due or overdue | In the payment reference (UTR followed by K) |
| Tax calculation or tax year overview | After you file a return | In the header, alongside your name |
| Copies of past tax returns | Whenever you’ve filed | On the front page of the return |
| Other HMRC letters about Self Assessment | Penalties, repayments or reminders | In the reference panel |
If you need your tax calculation for a mortgage anyway, our guide on how to get an SA302 shows where to download it. The UTR is printed on it.
Finding Your UTR Online
In your Personal Tax Account
Sign in to your Personal Tax Account with your Government Gateway details or GOV.UK One Login, then open the Self Assessment section. Your UTR is shown there once you’re registered. If you’ve lost your sign-in details, our guide to the Government Gateway user ID explains how to recover them.
In the HMRC app
GOV.UK confirms the UTR is also available in the HMRC app. You’ll need to sign in and pass the identity checks the first time. After that, the app is usually the fastest way to find it on your phone.
If the app or account doesn’t show it
Sometimes the Self Assessment section is missing because Self Assessment hasn’t been added to your account, or because your registration is still being processed. If you registered recently, wait for the welcome letter. If you file returns but the account doesn’t show Self Assessment, you may need to add it as a service using the details on an HMRC letter. Either way, that’s a sign to check your post for a UTR before you assume it’s missing.
Through your accountant or software
If an accountant files your return, they’ll have your UTR on file and can tell you. Many tax return software packages also show it once you’ve connected them to HMRC.
Keep it somewhere safe
Once you’ve found it, save the number where you’ll see it again, such as in a password manager note or the front of your tax folder. Treat it like other personal details: share it with people who need it for your tax affairs, but not on public forms or social media. That way you won’t be searching for it again next January.
Where Your UTR Is Not Shown
A lot of time is lost searching documents that never contain a UTR. Employment paperwork is produced by your employer’s payroll, not by HMRC’s Self Assessment system, so it has no reason to show your UTR. These usually don’t:
| Document | What it shows instead |
|---|---|
| Payslips | Your National Insurance number, tax code and your employer’s PAYE reference |
| P60 and P45 | Your NI number and your employer’s PAYE reference |
| Tax code notices for employees | Your NI number and tax code |
| Companies House certificate of incorporation | The company registration number (CRN), not the company UTR |
| National Insurance letters | Your NI number |
| Bank transfer receipts from India | A bank “UTR” (Unique Transaction Reference), which has nothing to do with HMRC |
That last point catches people out. Wise and Indian banks use “UTR” for a payment tracking number. An HMRC UTR is always 10 digits and only comes from HMRC.
If you’re employed and only pay tax through your wages, there may be no UTR to find at all. Your employment tax is handled through PAYE and your tax code, which our guide to the 1257L tax code explains.
Where Can I Find My UTR Number for a Limited Company?
A company UTR is a separate 10-digit reference HMRC gives a limited company for Corporation Tax. You don’t apply for it. HMRC posts it to the company’s registered office soon after it’s incorporated at Companies House. Look for it on:
- the Corporation Tax welcome letter sent to the registered office;
- the company’s HMRC business tax account, if one has been set up;
- past Company Tax Returns (CT600s) and HMRC Corporation Tax letters;
- your accountant’s records, if they deal with the company’s tax.
If none of those help, use HMRC’s online service to ask for a copy of your Corporation Tax UTR. You’ll need the company registration number and registered name. HMRC posts the UTR to the registered address held by Companies House. The service can’t be used for companies that are dissolved, struck off, converted to another type of organisation, or recently incorporated, since a new company’s UTR should arrive soon anyway.
Don’t count on a phone call. HMRC’s Corporation Tax enquiries page says its advisers can’t give you the company’s UTR over the phone. Remember too that the company UTR is different from the CRN on your Companies House certificate, and from each director’s personal UTR.
Company directors with two UTRs
Directors often ask where can I find my UTR number when they really need one of two different numbers. The company UTR goes on the company’s Corporation Tax return. Your personal UTR, if you have one, goes on your own Self Assessment return, for example to report dividends. They come on different letters, sent to different addresses: the company’s registered office and your home. Check which one the person asking actually needs.
Partnerships, Trusts and Estates
- Partnerships: when a partnership is registered, the partnership gets its own UTR for its partnership return, and each partner has their own personal UTR. The nominated partner usually receives the letters.
- Trusts: trustees get a UTR for the trust when they register the trust for tax. Check the registration confirmation and past trust returns.
- Estates of someone who has died: an estate that needs to file returns gets its own reference. Check HMRC letters sent to the personal representative.
GOV.UK’s advice for all of these is the same: check previous returns and documents first, then contact HMRC if you still can’t find it.
Do You Actually Have a UTR?
You only get a UTR after you’ve registered with HMRC for something that needs one: Self Assessment, a company, a partnership or a trust. If you’ve only ever been employed and never filed a tax return, you very likely don’t have one yet. That’s normal.
If you now need to file, register for Self Assessment by 5 October after the end of the tax year in which you need to report income. GOV.UK says the UTR usually arrives by post around 15 days after you register, and longer if you live abroad. Eternity Accountants’ guide on how to apply for a UTR number covers the registration routes, and our tax return deadline guide lists the key dates.
Lost Your UTR? What to Do Next
If you’ve tried everything above and are still asking where can I find my UTR number, work through these steps in order. Most people find the number by step 3.
- Check your Personal Tax Account online.
- Open the HMRC app and sign in.
- Search your letters, emails and files for HMRC Self Assessment letters, statements and past returns, including PDFs saved from tax software. Search your email inbox for “Unique Taxpayer Reference” too.
- Ask your accountant, if you’ve ever had one file a return for you.
- Contact HMRC through its Self Assessment contact page. Have your National Insurance number and address ready. For security, HMRC may send the UTR to the address it holds for you rather than giving it to you straight away.
Whatever you do, don’t register for Self Assessment again just to get a new number. You’d end up with two UTRs, which causes duplicate returns and penalty notices that take time to untangle.
UTR vs Other Tax Numbers
| Number | What it’s for | Typical format |
|---|---|---|
| UTR (personal) | Self Assessment | 10 digits |
| Self Assessment payment reference | Paying your tax bill | UTR followed by K |
| Company UTR | Corporation Tax | 10 digits |
| National Insurance number | Your NI and tax record | 2 letters, 6 digits, 1 letter |
| PAYE reference | Your employer’s payroll scheme | 3 digits, a slash, then letters and numbers |
| Company registration number (CRN) | Companies House | Usually 8 characters |
| Government Gateway user ID | Signing in to HMRC online | 12 digits |
Some websites charge a fee to “find your UTR” or “register you”. Everything they offer is free on GOV.UK. HMRC also won’t text or email you asking for your UTR alongside bank details. Report suspicious messages instead of replying.
Common Mistakes When Looking for a UTR
These slips are behind most of the “where can I find my UTR number?” problems people run into:
| Mistake | What happens |
|---|---|
| Looking on payslips or P60s | The UTR isn’t there, so the search goes nowhere |
| Using the NI number instead | Forms and software reject it, or the wrong record is matched |
| Giving the company UTR for a personal return | The return won’t match your personal record |
| Missing the K when paying | The payment may not reach your Self Assessment account |
| Registering again | A second UTR is created, causing duplicate notices |
| Paying a “UTR finder” website | You pay for something that’s free from HMRC |
Where Can I Find My UTR Number: FAQs
Is my UTR on my payslip?
No. Payslips show your National Insurance number, tax code and your employer’s PAYE reference, but not your UTR. Check your HMRC online account or Self Assessment letters instead.
Is my UTR on my P60?
No. A P60 shows your pay, tax deducted, NI number and your employer’s PAYE reference. A UTR only appears on Self Assessment, company, partnership or trust paperwork.
Can I get my UTR over the phone?
For a company, no. HMRC says advisers can’t give it out by phone, so request a copy online. For personal UTRs, contact HMRC, which may post it to your address for security.
How long does a UTR take to arrive?
GOV.UK says it usually arrives by post around 15 days after you register for Self Assessment, and longer if you live abroad.
Can I find my UTR on the HMRC app?
Yes. Once you’ve signed in and passed the identity checks, the HMRC app shows your UTR, as does your Personal Tax Account.
Where is my company UTR?
On the Corporation Tax welcome letter sent to the registered office, past CT600s and HMRC letters. You can also ask HMRC online to post a copy to the registered office.
Do I have a UTR if I’m employed?
Usually not, unless you’ve registered for Self Assessment for another reason, such as rental income or self-employment alongside your job.
What if I have two UTRs?
Contact HMRC so the records can be merged or one closed. Keep both letters until HMRC confirms which number to use.
Final Verdict
If you’re still wondering where you can find your UTR number, start with the two quickest places: your Personal Tax Account and the HMRC app. Then check Self Assessment letters, statements and past returns. Don’t waste time on payslips or P60s, because the UTR isn’t printed on them. For a company, look at its Corporation Tax letters or request a copy online. If you’ve never registered for Self Assessment, you may not have a UTR at all, so register rather than search.
- Sign in to your Personal Tax Account or the HMRC app.
- If it isn’t there, check your Self Assessment letters and past returns.
- For a company, request a copy of the Corporation Tax UTR online.
- Still stuck? Contact HMRC rather than registering again.