News story

HMRC launches ambitious API strategy

HM Revenue and Customs published its Third-Party Tax Software and Application Programme Interface (API) strategy today.

The API approach will see HMRC:

  • promoting a ‘third-party software first’ approach for businesses and agents
  • giving greater access to APIs
  • sharing rules and logic
  • publishing performance figures
  • building richer APIs that enable third party products to work seamlessly with HMRC systems

Visiting a new digital delivery centre in Telford the Financial Secretary to the Treasury, David Gauke, said:

We want to make tax easier to understand and simpler to engage with. That’s why we’re investing in HMRC’s digital capacity.

The API strategy recognises that it is important to work collaboratively with developers of tax software to help deliver high quality digital services for businesses and agents up and down the country.

Mark Dearnley, HMRC’s Chief Digital and Information Officer, said:

Our vision is to provide software developers with better and richer APIs that will enable them to innovate and bring more sophisticated software products to the market.

The strategy can be found here.

Published 1 September 2015