Telephone security questions explained
The latest issue of Working Together, published on Friday 27 March has a useful section on the dreaded "telephone security questions".
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And if HMRC ring us?
If HMRC ring us, then they should be prepared to answer our security questions rather than expect to ask us questions.
Security questions
Sorry to contradict, but we are regularly asked for the clients middle name, to the extent that I have asked all my staff to ensure all the personal tax files are updated with the information accordingly.
We have also been asked at various times;
whether the client is personally registered for CIS (for a co director)
what the nature of their employment is
whether the client completes tax returns (my favourite!)
And we have been rejected after failing on only one piece of security - we were one day out on the date of birth.
I must be lucky
I've just got off the phone from HMRC and all they wanted was my name and address and my client's name and address.