This document sets out how HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) uses Twitter, a popular micro-blogging service.
The @HMRCgovuk Twitter account is managed by the HMRC Press Office on behalf of HMRC.
If you follow this account, you can expect 1-2 tweets a day covering information about HMRC and tax, including news, publications, web content, consultations, speeches and publicity campaigns.
HMRC strongly recommend that you do not discuss the details of your financial affairs on Twitter, or give out your personal financial details.
HMRC cannot discuss the tax affairs of individual taxpayers over Twitter. We cannot accept tweets as notification in respect of your tax affairs.
HMRC does not send notifications of tax rebates via Twitter or by email, and will not ask you to disclose personal or payment information via Twitter or by email. If you receive such a message, do not respond - it is not from HMRC and may be malicious.
If you see a Tweet or other electronic message claiming to be from HMRC that you suspect may be fraudulent, please forward it by email to phishing@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk.
See our Security Advice page for more information
HMRC Press Office welcome feedback and ideas from our followers and will endeavour to add value to conversations where we can.
HMRC Press Office will read all @replies and ensure that any emerging themes or helpful suggestions are passed to the relevant people in HMRC. However, due to resource constraints HMRC Press Office will not always be able to reply individually to all the messages we receive via Twitter.
In general HMRC Press Office prefer not to send or receive Direct Messages, to keep conversations open and public.
HMRC Press Office are bound by the Civil Service Code, and cannot engage on issues of party politics.
If you need to contact HMRC for official correspondence visit our ‘Contact us’ page.
If you follow @HMRCgovuk, we will not automatically follow you back. This avoids us having to spend time dealing with spam accounts, and helps keep discussions open by limiting the use of Direct Messages.
@HMRCgovuk will follow organisations of relevance to HMRC and tax, and may follow individuals where appropriate. HMRC Press Office reserve the right to unfollow accounts we believe are malicious or spam.
Our following a Twitter account does not imply endorsement of any kind by HMRC.
HMRC Press Office will generally update and monitor our Twitter account during office hours only, Monday to Friday.
Twitter may occasionally become unavailable. HMRC cannot accept responsibility for lack of service due to Twitter downtime.
HMRC will occasionally engage officially in digital conversations, for example in online forums, where this supports our objectives and helps our customers.
HMRC corporate engagement in online forums is conducted via the HMRC Press Office. The HMRC Press Office do not post anonymously. We will always identify ourselves as official representatives of HMRC.
Our engagement with an online channel does not imply official HMRC endorsement of that channel or the material it contains.
Our corporate engagement may include supplying information, or answering questions. This engagement is intended to complement our communications, and does not overwrite HMRC’s existing channels of communication or accountability such as Parliament and Freedom of Information.
When we post, we are very keen to have your feedback and engagement. But we cannot promise to answer every question that’s asked or address every issue that’s raised.
We cannot enter into online discussion about specific cases or any individual's tax affairs. HMRC strongly recommend that you do not discuss the details of your financial affairs on Twitter, or give out your personal financial details.
When we post significant or detailed information, we will typically provide links to copies of the relevant material on the HMRC website. This is to provide assurance to readers that the material is genuine and comes from HMRC.
If you see a forum posting or other electronic message claiming to be from HMRC that you suspect may be fraudulent, please forward it by email to phishing@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk.
