Agent Update February 2026

HMRC have published their February 2026 Agent Update (issue 140) and we detail some of the relevant issues covered under the headings used in the publication:

Tax

This section covers a wide range of taxes and we draw your attention to the following payroll-related that are copied from the February2026 Employer Bulletin:

• Upcoming State Pension age changes;
• Student loans (Plan 5 and the other thresholds for 2026/27);
• Payrolling benefits in kind — ‘important dates’.  Again, ICB reminds members that clients should only register if they are able to provide taxable expenses and benefits information in real-time or payrolling will fail.  PLUS, voluntary payrolling will not be the same as mandatory payrolling from April 2027.  HMRC have published guidance which they are calling ‘interim’ meaning that it is incomplete;
• National Insurance contributions relief for hiring veterans; and
• Statutory Sick Pay changes from April 2026

Making Tax Digital for Income Tax (MTD IT) 

This section does not contain any new information but refers to:

• Reviewing your current clients’ tax affairs ahead of the April 2026 mandation, always considering the ‘customer awareness letters’ that are being sent by HMRC now.  This is all under the section ‘Get ready for Making Tax Digital for Income Tax now’; which leads onto a reminder about
• The Agent Toolkit

HMRC Agent Services – up to here

ICB is highlighting one point from this section, though other ware worth reading.  

This concerns HMRC’s recently-published and long-awaited guidance on new tax adviser registration rules.  ICB will cover this in more detail in the ‘Tax Update with Amy Chin’ on 10 March 2026.

However, in the meantime, we point you to the following sections:

• Changes to registration;
• Who needs to register;
• Who does not need to register; and
• How to register

For Bookkeepers

HMRC’s guidance is not as clear as it could be and does not include information on how agents can register.  Look for updates in this regard and ICB will communicate this. 

However, the lack of clarity does not take away the underlying message that if there is a requirement to register and this does not happen, you will not be able to interact with HMRC on your client’s behalf.

ICB recommends reading the entire Update, as always, as it is reflective of the wide range of topics that members embrace in their professional lives.