Welsh Revenue Authority: using email to correspond about tax

Using email can make it easier and quicker to complete things you need when it suits you. But there are some risks in emailing with personal information.

We take the security of personal information seriously. But it’s important to know:

•  the risks of corresponding with us by email
•  what we will do to reduce risks
•  what you can do to help keep your information secure

The main risks related to using email to correspond with us are:

• confidentiality and privacy - emails sent over the internet may be intercepted
• no guarantee that an email received over an insecure network, like the internet, has not been altered during transit
• file attachments could contain a virus or malicious code

When we use email to discuss a tax situation with you, we will only include the information needed.

There may be circumstances when we encrypt our emails to you, such as when discussing sensitive information. We’re happy to discuss how you can do the same to provide the information we need.

You should check emails you receive from us come from email addresses ending ‘@wra.gov.wales’ or ‘@acc.llyw.cymru’.

If we receive an email from someone not recognised from the details you gave us, we’ll verify the position with you before responding. You can do the same if you do not recognise an email address from the WRA by contacting security@wra.gov.wales

See more information about tax-related phishing and scams.

If you choose to correspond with us by email on matters that include personal information, we’ll need you to confirm in writing that:

• you understand and accept the risks of using email
• you’re content for financial information to be sent by email
• attachments can be used

You’ll need to check your spam filters are not set to reject or automatically delete emails from us.

You may prefer that we do not use email to discuss matters with personal information, for example, because others also have access to your emails.

You can opt out of using email for personal information at any time by contacting us.

We’re happy to respond in another way. We’ll agree on this with you either by phone or in writing by post.

We’ll hold your confirmation on file and will apply it to how we communicate with you in the future. We’ll review the agreement as and when we contact you to ensure the information is up-to-date.

You can authorise someone to act for you in your tax affairs, such as a tax professional, friend or relative.

See our privacy policy for how we use the information you provide.