Guidance

Voice Identification Privacy Notice

Updated 24 February 2025

What voice identification is

Voice identification is a security feature that allows you to identify yourself using your voice.

The benefits are:

1. It’s easier, you will not need to remember answers to security questions or risk personal information being overheard.
2. It saves time, you’ll use your voice to identify yourself rather than answer a series of security questions.
3. It’s secure, voice prints are unique and cannot be replicated or stolen, so nobody else can access your account.
4. It’s quick and easy to set up.

How we ask for your consent

We’re currently trialling a new voice ID enrolment process with customers. When you call us, we may ask if you’re interested in registering. If you are, we’ll always ask for your consent to process and store your voice identification data.

If you do not want to use voice identification, it will not stop you from speaking to us next time you call, you’ll just continue to answer our security questions to access your account.

How to register for voice identification

You’ll need to be the account holder in order to set up and use voice identification.

You’ll only need to register once, and you’ll then be able to use voice identification on the following helplines:

• PAYE
• Child Benefit
• Self Assessment
• National Insurance
• Tax Credits

When you register for voice identification, we’ll ask you to repeat the phrase ‘my voice is my password’ up to 5 times.

We recommend that you do this where there is minimal background noise. This allows us to get a clear recording.

How to withdraw or re-record voice identification

You can call any of the HMRC services that use voice identification to:

• withdraw consent and ask for your data to be deleted
• re-record your voice identification data

You’ll need to pass voice identification or security questions to withdraw your consent or re-record your voice identification data.

If you withdraw consent, you will not be able to use voice identification for any HMRC service. We will still need to identify that it is you calling us so you will need to answer security questions to access your HMRC account.

How we use your voice identification data

HMRC stores your voice recordings and converts them into biometric data. We do this by using the sound and rhythm of your voice to identify a numerical pattern, known as a voice print.

This pattern is unique to you in the same way as your fingerprint. We’ll only use this to identify you when you call HMRC.

The caller is only verified against the person they say they are. The customer is also compared to a generic model voice print compiled from the data held in the HMRC database of customers, to determine a false positive rate.

How long we keep your data

We’ll ask you to consider and refresh your consent when you call us 3 years after your original recording. We’ll use and store your biometric data for up to 7 years if we do not hear from you before, after which, we’ll delete it.

We will check in with you next time you call after 3 years to remind you your consent is still there and give you the option of withdrawing it if you want to. Read more about this in the Records Management and Retention and Disposal Policy.

We’ll also delete your biometric data if you withdraw consent at any time, or if we replace our voice identification system.

How we protect your data

HMRC treat the security of your biometric data very seriously. We store your data in a UK data centre, where we are the data controllers. We use a telephony service provider as our data processor to capture and encrypt data.

We will never share this information with anyone else outside of HMRC.

Your rights

You can:

• read about your rights in the HMRC Privacy Notice
• ask for a copy of your personal information by making a subject access request

HMRC cannot provide a copy of your biometric voice print. It can only be read within the voice identification system.

Due to the format of biometric data, we also cannot provide information in any other ways.

Contact HMRC or make a complaint

You can contact the Office of the Data Protection Officer if you have questions about this privacy notice or want to make a complaint.

Other things you may need to know about voice identification

If you are unwell when you record a voice print

A voice print is created from over 100 voice characteristics, only a few of which are affected by a cold.

A health condition that severely affects your voice, such as laryngitis, will lead to a failed authentication. In this case you’ll continue to use our security questions to identify yourself.

If you are worried about a voice print being stolen

A voice print is a digital representation of your voice that is stored securely and in a proprietary format.

The security measures in place mean there should never be any unauthorised access as the data stored is not understandable or usable to others.

The security also ensures that your HMRC reference details and voice print are kept entirely separate so outside your use of the Voice ID system, it is not possible to link your name with a voice print.

Fraud prevention and detection

HMRC’s security measures and fraud detection will identify and stop your voice from being used or copied by anyone else. This also stops other people from impersonating you to gain access to other accounts and gives you an added layer of security.

If we suspect that someone is attempting to commit fraud, we may use the data collected (including the biometric and metadata) to investigate and stop fraudulent activity. We will process this data on the basis of our public task obligations to stop and detect crime.

If you change your mind

You can let one of our advisers know at any time and they will arrange for your biometric data to be deleted.

You will no longer be able to use voice identification for any HMRC service and will need to answer security questions to access your account when you call HMRC.