Additional services testing GOV.UK Verify

17 June 2015

GOV.UK Verify is the new way for you to prove who you are online, so you can use services on GOV.UK safely, like viewing your driving licence or assessing your tax. It is being built by Government Digital Service (GDS), working with government departments, private sector and privacy consumer groups. It is more secure than usual methods of proving who you are, because there’s no central storage of information.

GOV.UK Verify is being tested in public beta with users and these departments and services:

HMRC

Renew your tax credits online, with Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs

Claim a tax refund

Log in and file your Self Assessment tax return

Help friends or family with their tax

Check or update your company car tax

 

Claim for redundancy and monies owed, with the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS)

Claim rural payments, with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra)

During 2015 more companies will join the programme for certification, and more services and government departments will start to use GOV.UK Verify. See the Identity Assurance & GOV.UK Blog for details of services expected to start using GOV.UK Verify over the next few months.

When you’re using digital services, you need to be sure that your privacy is being protected and your data is secure. Government departments providing services online need to know it’s you and not someone pretending to be you, and to ensure your information is safe.

GOV.UK Verify uses certified companies to check it’s you. Verifying your identity takes around 15 minutes, online. After that it takes less than a minute to verify your identity each time you need to use a GOV.UK service. The certified company you choose performs some checks before verifying your identity to GOV.UK, such as questions only you know the answer to. You’re also asked to enter a code you receive on your mobile phone.

Your identity is verified by a certified company each time you want to use a service. You choose the certified company (you can choose as many as you like, and you can change at any time). You don’t have an account with government.

This strictly limits the information any certified company or government has about you: no-one has more information than the minimum to perform their function, and there is no central storage of information. Watch a video that explains more.

GOV.UK Verify will continue to engage with industry, public and private sectors through the Open Identity Exchange (OIX). OIX is the UK arm of a global organisation working directly with governments and the private sector developing solutions and trust for online identity, specifically for the British citizen.

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