HMRC reviews: what App Store users complain about
We read the 300 most recent App Store reviews of HMRC (by HMRC) from 1 storefronts, dated 26 March 2026 to 22 October 2026. Average rating in this sample: 3.42★. All-time App Store rating: 4.8★ from 260k ratings. 130 reviews (43%) gave 1–3 stars.
Star ratings in this sample
| Stars | Reviews | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 5★ | 164 | 55% |
| 4★ | 6 | 2% |
| 3★ | 19 | 6% |
| 2★ | 15 | 5% |
| 1★ | 96 | 32% |
Rating by month
| Month | Reviews | Avg stars | 1–3★ share |
|---|---|---|---|
| October 2026 | 26 | 3.92★ | 27% |
| September 2026 | 36 | 3.31★ | 44% |
| August 2026 | 29 | 2.59★ | 69% |
| July 2026 | 79 | 3.84★ | 32% |
| June 2026 | 60 | 4.10★ | 27% |
| May 2026 | 24 | 2.83★ | 58% |
What 1–3★ reviews mention
130 English-language 1–3★ reviews in the sample (UK and Ireland storefronts), matched against fixed keyword lists per theme.
| Theme | Reviews mentioning it | Share of 1–3★ reviews |
|---|---|---|
| Bugs | 36 | 28% |
| Pricing / subscription | 34 | 26% |
| UX / design | 9 | 7% |
| Feature requests | 6 | 5% |
| Performance | 2 | 2% |
A review can mention several themes.
Most-mentioned issues
- Fix login / account access: 39 of 130 1–3★ reviews. What to do: Audit the sign-in flow (SSO, password reset, verification emails) on the latest version; add clear error messages.
“I downloaded the app after the website failed to allow me to change my email address having logged in and being verified. Online it showed my old email address and instructed me to log out then log in again - to the same page - contact us - a useless set or pre-written answers wi…” (1★, v18.5.0, 2026-03-31, GB) - Make trials and renewals transparent: 7 of 130 1–3★ reviews. What to do: Show the renewal date and price before the trial ends; link to cancellation. Surprise charges drive 1-star reviews and refunds.
“It feels like HMRC only cares about taking people’s money. My monthly income is around £1,200, yet you charged me over £500 in a single month, calling it a penalty. I cannot understand how such a huge penalty is justified. What makes even less sense is that I have not been self…” (1★, v19.3.0, 2026-07-18, GB) - Fix notifications: 6 of 130 1–3★ reviews. What to do: Check notification delivery and let users control frequency in settings.
“I checked the app recently and did not find any reminders or notification of arrears. Today I got a letter of an overdue amount. Used the app, found the same message this time and was quickly able to pay. Full marks for quick and easy payment option but how could I miss the ov…” (3★, v19.4.0, 2026-08-29, GB) - Improve content quality: 5 of 130 1–3★ reviews. What to do: Review the content areas users name; add a "report a problem" button on content.
“Asked me to sign in with the very long government gateway ID 4 different times, then told me it was the wrong ID and I couldn’t see my personal tax even after submitting my passport photo. So I gave up because it makes you give them all your information before they tell you they…” (1★, v19.2.0, 2026-06-17, GB) - Answer support requests: 4 of 130 1–3★ reviews. What to do: Add an in-app contact option and reply to these App Store reviews; Apple lets developers respond publicly.
“Impossible to check or correct anything. Years of history missing or inaccurate. No way to contact or engage with HMRC. Just an over-elaborate payment system.” (1★, v19.4.0, 2026-08-17, GB) - Simplify navigation: 3 of 130 1–3★ reviews. What to do: Run a quick usability test on the screens users mention; remove extra taps and pop-ups.
“The first page of the app used to be easy to scan and go where I needed to. Now you have an essay on every button and it’s really hard to find anything. Why have you changed this???” (1★, v19.2.0, 2026-06-11, GB)
Rating by app version
| Version | Reviews | Avg stars | 1–3★ share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 19.6.0 | 25 | 3.88★ | 28% |
| 19.5.0 | 36 | 3.31★ | 44% |
| 19.4.0 | 28 | 2.61★ | 68% |
| 19.3.0 | 106 | 3.86★ | 32% |
| 19.2.0 | 38 | 4.11★ | 26% |
| 19.1.0 | 36 | 2.75★ | 61% |
Versions with fewer than 5 reviews in the sample are left out.
Is HMRC your app?
The full report reads up to ~300 of the latest public App Store reviews, classifies them into 7 themes and 18 specific issues, and ranks the 10 fixes that would move your rating most. PDF by email within 24–48 h.
Full App Store report €49 €19 Free check
Launch prices until 30 Nov 2026 or the first 20 orders (then €49).
Method and limits
Reviews were collected once from Apple's public customer-reviews feed (most recent first; UK, Ireland, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Poland and Netherlands storefronts merged, 1 with reviews; up to 300 reviews). Star, month and version figures are plain counts of that sample. Theme and issue figures come from fixed keyword patterns (for example “subscription”, “charged”, “refund” for pricing) run on English-language 1–3★ reviews from the UK and Irish stores only (reviews in other languages count in the star, month and version figures but not in the themes); a keyword match is not a judgement of the review, so check the quotes. The paid report classifies every review with an AI model into 7 themes and 18 issues with severity. This is a snapshot of recent reviews, not the app's full history. Generated 24 October 2026. Not affiliated with HMRC or Apple.
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FAQ
What do HMRC users complain about most?
In 130 English-language 1–3★ App Store reviews from 2026-03-26 to 2026-10-22, the most-mentioned theme was bugs (28%) and the most-mentioned issue was “fix login / account access” (39 reviews).
How many HMRC App Store reviews are negative?
130 of 300 recent reviews (43%) gave 1–3 stars. Average rating in this sample: 3.42★.