First, check which login you actually need
These are two different accounts and it is easy to mix them up.
Your TaxPro account at app.taxpro.co.uk is where your claim lives. If that is the one you cannot get into, message us here and we will sort it, you do not need HMRC for this.
Your HMRC Government Gateway account is HMRC's own login. Only HMRC can reset it. We have no access to it and cannot reset it for you, however much we would like to.
Worth knowing: for most claims you do not need to sign in to the Government Gateway at all. If you are only stuck on that, message us before you spend an evening on it, because it may not be blocking anything.
You have forgotten your user ID
Go to gov.uk/log-in-register-hmrc-online-services/problems-signing-in and follow the recovery steps. You will need the email address linked to the account.
If no email address is linked to your Gateway ID, you cannot recover it online. HMRC will not do it by chat or email either, for security. You will need to call them, and they will confirm your identity on the call. Find the right number for the service you are using on gov.uk/find-hmrc-contacts.
You have forgotten your password
Start signing in as normal and choose the option to reset your password when it appears. HMRC will send a reset link to the email address on the account. Check your junk folder, it lands there more often than it should. 📨
Your account is locked
After several failed attempts HMRC locks the account automatically. It unlocks by itself after 2 hours. HMRC's own helpdesk cannot unlock it early, so there is genuinely nothing to gain from calling them or from trying again in the meantime. Make a cup of tea and come back to it. ☕
You cannot get your access code
This is the code HMRC texts you, calls you with, or generates in an authenticator app. If you have changed your phone or lost the number:
Sign in with your user ID and password as usual.
At the screen asking for the access code, choose "You can get help".
Follow the steps to change how you receive codes. HMRC may ask you to confirm recent details about yourself.
You think you have more than one account
This is common if you have ever been self-employed, run a company, or set up an account years ago and forgotten. Different accounts can hold different records, so signing into the wrong one can look like your details have vanished. If recovery keeps returning a mismatch, mention it to HMRC on the call, they can see which accounts exist against your National Insurance number.
What we can and cannot do
We cannot reset, unlock or recover an HMRC account, and nobody who offers to do that for you should be trusted with your details. What we can do is check whether the Gateway is actually holding your claim up, tell you exactly what your claim is waiting on, and take a different route where one exists. Message us here and we will look at your claim while you sort the login.
One safety note
HMRC will never ask for your Government Gateway password, and neither will we. If a text, email or caller asks for it, or offers to speed up your refund for a fee, it is a scam. Do not share it. If you are unsure whether a message is genuinely from HMRC, send it to us and we will tell you.