Error: authentication – user credentials failed validation in Personal Tax
Scenario
You may get the following error message when you try to file accounts in Personal, Business and Trust Tax.
Authentication failure. The supplied user credentials failed validation for the requested service.
Cause
The authentication failure error may be caused by one of the following.
The Unique Taxpayer Reference for the client is invalid.
The Unique Taxpayer Reference is not displayed on the tax return.
Your user ID or HMRC password has not been entered correctly.
There's a problem with HMRC's online service.
For clients whose records are dealt with under separate arrangements, HMRC Exclusion 3 will apply. This means their Unique Taxpayer Reference will not be recognised by the authentication system. You will need to advise these clients that they can't file online.
Solution 1: invalid Unique Taxpayer Reference
Select
Edit
, then
Client Details
.
Check that the UTR has 10 digits, that there are no spaces, and that digits have not been transposed.
Make sure that the
UTR
checkbox is marked and greyed out.
Solution 2: Unique Taxpayer Reference missing from the tax return.
Select
Edit
, then
Schedule Editor
.
Select
Other Return Information
.
Select
Client Details
, then
HMRC
.
If the Unique Taxpayer Reference is not shown, mark the
Current year details
checkbox, then clear it.
Solution 3: incorrect User ID or HMRC password
In
Microsoft Windows
, select
Start
, then
All Programs
,
Digita
,
Database Security
.
Sign in to Database Security.
Select the user
Name
that you use to sign in to
Personal, Business, and Trust Tax
.
Check that your
User ID
and HMRC
password
are entered correctly.
If you test your ID and password in the Government Gateway, remember that the Government Gateway restricts passwords to the first 12 characters, whereas
Personal, Business, and Trust Tax
does no limit the characters.
Solution 4: problem caused by HMRC online services
If the error is caused by HMRC online services, contact the HMRC online helpdesk on telephone 0300 200 3600.