Frequently Asked Questions
How do I start the survey?
Please go to the "Home" page and click on the link that says "Click here to complete the survey". Simply enter one of the sets of reference numbers and passcodes from the letter that we sent you. Type these into the box under the title "Please log in to begin".
Who can participate?
Up to three people aged 16 or over in your household can take part. You do not need to be taxpayers to complete this survey. If more than one person in the household is completing the survey, please make sure each person uses different login details.
I'm not a taxpayer, can I still take part?
Yes. We are interested to hear from adults from various age groups and backgrounds, regardless of whether they pay taxes or not.
Can I complete the survey on my smartphone?
Yes, you can complete the survey on your smartphone with access to the Internet. It has been designed to complete on whichever device you prefer - this could be a smartphone, tablet, laptop or desktop computer.
How was I selected to take part?
As it is not possible to ask everyone to take part in the survey, we selected a sample of addresses to represent the entire country. Your address was selected at random from a list of all addresses in the United Kingdom held by the Royal Mail.
How long is the survey?
The survey length will vary depending on what answers you give, but the average length is around 15 minutes.
Is there an incentive for completing the survey?
Yes. Upon completion of the online survey, you will receive a £5 shopping voucher. Once the survey has been completed, you will be directed to the Merit website where you can use the survey login details to sign in and choose from a range of different £5 shopping vouchers. If you completed the survey by post, we will post your £5 voucher (valid at most high street stores) to you once we receive your completed questionnaire.
Do I have to answer every question?
We would like you to complete as many questions as you can. However if there is any question that you don’t know the answer to, or that you don’t feel comfortable answering, you can simply move on to the next question without giving an answer. Once you've clicked on the 'next' arrow, some more options will appear on the screen at the bottom of the question. You will have to select one of these to move onto the next question.
What if I don’t understand a question?
If you have any questions about the survey you can contact Verian, by telephone (0800 051 0885) or email (hmrcsurvey@veriangroup.com), between 9am-5pm Monday to Friday.
Do I have to complete the survey all in one go?
No. You can complete it in stages if you want to. The survey will be saved automatically, so just close down your browser window to leave. To come back to it, go to www.hmrcsurvey.co.uk and enter your reference number and token, and you will be returned to the point you stopped at.
What do I do if the survey timed out?
To protect the confidentiality of your answers, the survey is closed down if it is left idle for a period of time. Your answers will have been saved, so you can just log back in by going to www.hmrcsurvey.co.uk and entering your reference number and token again - you will then be returned to the point you were at before.
Can Verian help me complete the survey?
Unless you need help we would recommend completing the survey on your own, to help us collect everybody’s individual views. However, if you do need some help completing the survey, this is fine. Please give our support line a call on 0800 051 0885 with any questions.
What do I do if I entered the reference number and passcode, but get a message saying "You have already completed this survey. Thank you for your participation."?
Although it is possible to complete the survey in more than one sitting, once you have reached the end, the survey becomes locked and it is not possible to go back in and change the answers. If you are seeing this message and don’t think you have completed the survey please check if another member of your household has used the details you are trying to use. Please contact us (by telephone on 0800 051 0885 or by email at hmrcsurvey@veriangroup.com) and we will try to help.
Why did I receive a reminder even though I have completed the survey?
Thank you for your response! It might be that you completed the survey after we checked our records and sent out the reminder. Our apologies - if you completed the survey we will have safely received your answers.
Is the information I provide safe online?
We take our responsibilities to keep your personal information secure very seriously and take every reasonable precaution to ensure your information is safe from loss, theft or misuse. We use a secure website (https) to ensure that your response is protected. This is the same type of website that you would generally see when shopping online or using your online bank account.
As part of our commitment to the security of your information, Verian has regular internal and external audits of its information security, and is accredited to the International Standard for Information Security, ISO 27001.
Verian is registered with the Market Research Society (MRS) (www.mrs.org.uk), which is the world's leading research association and prescribes ethical research standards which we follow. If you are concerned about the security or legitimacy of this or any other survey please call the MRS National Freephone on 0800 975 9596, or check their website here, to verify Verian’s existence as well as that the research we undertake is real.
This survey is also recognised on HMRC’s website as genuine. To check this or read more about how to recognise phishing activity please click here.
Is this survey confidential?
Yes. Your contact details will be held securely at all times and your responses will be treated confidentially. The information that is collected will only be used for research purposes. Your name and address details are kept separate from your answers and will not be passed on to HMRC or to any other organisation, nor will they be linked to your tax records in any way. To review Verian’s Privacy Policy please click here.
What if I don't want to take part?
That is fine - participation in the survey is entirely voluntary and you can change your mind at any point.
What about cookies?
This online survey detects your device’s operating system, screen resolution and the browser you are using in order to adjust the questionnaire to best suit your system. This is done by the use of a cookie created on your computer. This information is returned to us and stored for statistical purposes only. We do not collect or store any personal information. It is possible for you to delete 'cookies' or to prevent their use by adjusting the browser settings on your computer.
