This article covers the most common questions and issues we have seen since TaxScout launched. If you cannot find what you are looking for, get in touch with the team via the chat icon in Socket and we will help.
My sync isn't starting or has stalled
If your sync isn't starting at all, or appears to have stalled part way through, check the following.
First, confirm your Government Gateway credentials are still valid. Go to TaxScout Settings, find your login under HMRC Connections and check it shows a green verified tick. If it doesn't, click to re-verify.
If your credentials look fine but the sync still won't start, it may be a capacity issue. Practices with a large number of clients can occasionally experience sync timeouts where TaxScout is unable to complete the full sync in one pass. Get in touch via the chat icon in Socket and we can investigate and re-trigger the sync from our side.
My sync completed but some clients are missing
TaxScout pulls through everything linked to your Government Gateway login. If clients are missing it is usually because they are not associated with that login in HMRC, or they have been removed from your HMRC agent portal.
If you have multiple Government Gateway logins (for example separate Classic and MTD logins), make sure all of them have been added in TaxScout Settings under HMRC Connections. Each login will only pull through the clients and tax types it has access to.
I closed a client in Socket but they are still showing in TaxScout
Closing a client in Socket does not automatically update TaxScout. You need to run a manual sync after closing the client for the change to be reflected. Go to TaxScout and click Sync in the top right corner to trigger a fresh sync.
Former clients or dormant companies are showing in TaxScout and I cannot remove them
TaxScout pulls through every client associated with your Government Gateway login in the HMRC agent portal, including dormant or former clients you may no longer work with.
To remove a client from TaxScout you need to remove them from your HMRC agent portal first, then run a sync. To do this in HMRC, go to your agent services account and select Cancel a client's authorisation. You will need the client's VAT registration date to complete this for VAT clients.
If you do not have the VAT registration date (for example the client has gone bust and you no longer have their VAT certificate), you will not be able to remove them from HMRC using this route. In that case, close the client in Socket and run a sync. They will remain in TaxScout but will show as inactive rather than active.
After removing a client from the HMRC agent portal, it can take some time for HMRC to process the change. The client may continue to appear in TaxScout for a short period even after a sync.
The ability to filter TaxScout to show only your active Socket clients is coming soon.
Clients are counting multiple times against my client cap
If a client has multiple tax types (for example Corporation Tax, PAYE, Self Assessment and VAT), they may appear as separate records in TaxScout and each can count against your client cap. This is because HMRC maintains separate records per tax type.
You can merge duplicate client records in TaxScout using the merge functionality. If you are approaching or over your client cap and need to merge records, get in touch with the team via the chat icon in Socket. We can temporarily lift your cap to allow you to complete the merge.
My 2FA verification is failing or TaxScout stopped syncing after working fine
There are a few reasons this can happen.
Wrong code type entered
When adding your Government Gateway login, the 2FA setup code field requires the long secret key shown below the QR code on HMRC's authenticator app setup screen. It is not the 6-digit rotating code your authenticator app displays. If you entered the wrong type of code, go to TaxScout Settings, edit your login under HMRC Connections and re-enter the correct secret key.
2FA was reset or changed in HMRC
If you or someone at your practice reset your 2FA in HMRC (for example by setting up a new authenticator app), TaxScout will stop working because the secret key it holds no longer matches. Go to TaxScout Settings, edit your login and update the 2FA setup code field with the new secret key from your updated HMRC authenticator setup.
A third-party tool changed your HMRC 2FA settings
Some software tools connect to HMRC and may add themselves as an authenticator on your Government Gateway account, which can change how 2FA works for your login. If TaxScout stopped syncing after adding or using another HMRC-connected tool, go to TaxScout Settings and update your 2FA setup code with the current secret key from your HMRC authenticator setup.
If you are unsure which secret key to use or your setup is not working after updating it, get in touch with the team via the chat icon in Socket and we can help you work through it.
A balance or period is showing as zero or looks incorrect
TaxScout reads the data available in your HMRC agent portal. There are a couple of situations where what TaxScout shows may differ from what you expect.
If a client is on a payment plan or arrangement with HMRC, the outstanding balance for a period may display differently in TaxScout to what the HMRC portal shows. This is because TaxScout reads return and payment status data rather than payment history. For more detail on a specific client's outstanding position, use the Tax Balances tab which shows outstanding debt, interest and penalties broken down per tax type.
If a filing status appears incorrect (for example a return shows as filed when it hasn't been), run a fresh sync and check again. If the discrepancy persists after syncing, get in touch with the team with the client name and tax type and we can investigate.
PAYE unallocated payments and HMRC refunds are not showing
TaxScout currently reads tax balances, return statuses and payment due dates from HMRC. It does not currently pull payment history, unallocated PAYE payments, or HMRC refund and credit data. This means:
If HMRC has allocated a payment with no reference, this will not appear in TaxScout.
If a client is due an HMRC refund or has a credit on their account, this will not currently be visible in TaxScout.
Surfacing more payment and credit data is on the roadmap. If you have a specific use case, get in touch via the chat icon in Socket and we can note it for the team.
Is TaxScout available during a free trial?
Yes. TaxScout is available to explore during your free trial period. You can connect your Government Gateway login and run syncs as normal. To continue using TaxScout after your trial ends, add it as a paid add-on from Practice Settings under Subscription.