HMRC is celebrating 136 million logins this year – but experts have warned “it isn’t a digital triumph, it’s a metric of desperation”.
Millions more people are choosing to make managing their tax easier and simpler, with use of the HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) app continuing to accelerate nationwide, the Revenue announced today.
Across the year, people logged in to the app 136 million times, a 20% increase on 2024, reflecting growing confidence in managing tax digitally.
Total annual app users have now surpassed 7.18 million, up from 5.09 million the previous calendar year.
Customers increasingly used the app to stay in control of everyday tax tasks, with strong growth across several key areas.
There was a major rise in older and retired people checking their pension information with 2.38 million people viewing their forecast in 2025 – up from 1.72 million in 2024, an increase of nearly 664,000 users.
Almost 960,000 people used the Child Benefit area of the app in 2025 – 160,000 more than in 2024. Hundreds of thousands of families used it to get the money they were entitled to with 159,000 parents extending their Child Benefit for teenagers staying in education (up from 109,000), and sessions increasing to 250,900 (up from 185,600).
Metric of desperation
Saving National Insurance (NI) numbers to the digital wallet remained one of the most popular reasons to use the app – 383,000 people stored their NI number in 2025 so they always have it handy, 70,000 more than the previous year.
This comes as HMRC is urging workers to make sure they receive at least the National Minimum Wage or National Living Wage this Christmas.
Myrtle Lloyd, HMRC’s Chief Customer Officer, said: “The HMRC app has become one of the quickest and easiest ways to check your tax affairs and we’ve seen even more customers embrace it this year.
“If you choose to use the app you can access the information you need straight through your phone.”
But experts have warned that this shouldn’t be a celebration – it should be a cause for concern.
Rohit Parmar-Mistry, Founder at Burton-on-Trent-based Pattrn Data, said: “HMRC celebrating 136 million logins isn’t a digital triumph, it’s a metric of desperation. Taxpayers aren’t flocking to the app because it’s an intuitive digital masterpiece, they’re using it because HMRC has systematically dismantled every other route to speak to a human being. In the industry, we call this ‘forced adoption’.
“The app remains clunky, over-engineered and, for complex tax issues, it is a nightmare to resolve without human intervention. A 20% surge in logins doesn’t prove efficiency; it likely represents millions of anxious users repeatedly refreshing a screen because they can’t get a straight answer elsewhere.
“If a private tech company boasted about traffic stats while their support lines were effectively dead, investors would run a mile. When you’re the only game in town, participation isn’t a compliment, it’s a requirement. HMRC must stop hiding behind volume metrics and measure actual outcomes. Digitising chaos just makes the chaos faster.”
Plenty of workers still won’t use apps
Kate Underwood, Founder at Southampton-based Kate Underwood HR and Training, said it actually showed that people were anxious about their money.
She added: “HMRC’s app isn’t ‘nice to have’ anymore. It’s becoming the default tax helpline your staff trust more than your payroll team. 136 million logins tell you what’s really going on: people are anxious about money, obsessed with checking deductions, and tired of feeling blindsided. Great for transparency.
“Awful if your payslips are confusing, your comms are sloppy, or your team don’t know what NI, pension, student loans or Child Benefit actually mean in real terms. Because then every payday becomes: ‘Why have you taken this?’ And you’ll be the villain, not HMRC.
“The surge in State Pension forecast checks and Child Benefit use also shows people are finally engaging with the stuff that really matters to their household income. That’s good news. But it also means staff will expect answers fast and in plain English, not ‘speak to HMRC’ shrugs. And don’t kid yourself that ‘everyone’s digital now’. Plenty of workers still won’t use apps, can’t use them, or don’t trust them.”
Done well, the app can cut the anxiety tax
Taseer Ahmad, Director of Operations at Leicester-based Axies Digital, said a strong and easy-to-use app is essential.
He continued: “The next step is making digital confidence feel universal, not just for people who are already comfortable using apps. That means prompts in plain English, clear what-to-do-next steps, and simple journeys for everyday tasks like checking a pension forecast or updating Child Benefit.
“Security messaging should be visible but not scary. Explain what’s protected, how to spot scams and where to get help. Crucially, keep reliable non-digital routes such as phone and face-to-face support for anyone who can’t, or simply shouldn’t have to, do everything through a smartphone.
“Done well, the app can cut the anxiety tax, which is the extra worry, time and mental energy spent when money admin feels confusing or risky.”
