Can I change my name on GOV.UK One Login?#
Not as a setting. GOV.UK's guide to using One Login says that once you sign in you can change your sign-in details (your email address, password or how you get security codes), see the services you have used, and delete the account. Your name is not on that list, and GOV.UK publishes no other process for changing it.
That matters less than it sounds, because One Login is a way of signing in, not a record of your name. Its privacy notice says other government departments are responsible for the personal data you give their services. When One Login sends you on to a service, it passes the result of any identity check and the details that let that service match you against its own records, typically your name, date of birth and address. The service then uses its own record of you.
So a new name goes to each service in turn: HMRC, DVLA, HM Passport Office, DWP and the rest. Government and public services lists who to tell and how.
Proving your identity when your ID is in your old name#
Some services ask you to prove your identity through One Login. GOV.UK says the identity you prove is saved to your One Login, so you will not need to prove it again the next time a service asks. There are three ways, and each treats names differently.
| Method | What GOV.UK says it needs | Where names matter |
|---|---|---|
| The GOV.UK One Login app | A phone with a camera and one photo ID: UK photocard driving licence, UK passport, non-UK passport with a chip, or a BRP, BRC or Frontier Worker permit | An expired passport cannot be used; a DVLA licence can if it expired in the last 90 days |
| Security questions online | Details from a UK passport, UK photocard driving licence or UK current account, then questions checked against Experian or DWP records | The name on your document must match what Experian or DWP holds, including middle names and initials |
| At a Post Office | Details from your photo ID entered online, then a branch that offers in-branch verification | GOV.UK lists UK and non-UK passports, UK and EU photocard driving licences and some national identity cards |
The security questions route is the strictest. GOV.UK says you can use a document "with any of your names on it", but if the names do not match exactly, you "cannot currently prove your identity with GOV.UK One Login" that way. If your passport is in your new name but your credit file is still in your old one, or the other way round, that check can fail. Bringing your bank and credit reference records up to date before you try may avoid that.
The practical order is the usual one: change your passport or driving licence first, then your bank, then prove your identity online with documents that agree with each other.
If the identity you proved shows your old name#
GOV.UK publishes no process for updating the name on an identity you have already proved. Two things it does say:
- You can ask for wrong information to be corrected. The privacy notice gives you the right to ask for your information to be changed if it is wrong or inaccurate, and to restrict its use until it is.
- Deleting is permanent. Deleting your One Login removes your sign-in details, the information you gave when you proved your identity, and the record of which services you used. You would need to create a new one, and prove your identity again, to use those services.
Contact GOV.UK One Login, by webchat or the details on its contact page, and explain that your name has changed before deciding anything.
Government Gateway and HMRC#
Government Gateway is HMRC's own sign-in and identity checking service, separate from One Login. GOV.UK says HMRC online services accept either: a Government Gateway user ID and password, or One Login sign-in details for personal tax services. If you already use HMRC online, keep the sign-in details you have.
To change your name with HMRC, GOV.UK says to sign in and tell HMRC your name has changed, or use the HMRC app. The name you report is HMRC's record of you, whichever sign-in you used to reach it. HMRC also runs its own identity checks: the One Login privacy notice says the first name, last name and other details from a passport or driving licence you scan in the GOV.UK ID Check app are shared with Government Gateway so HMRC can check them. Changing your name with HMRC covers National Insurance, Self Assessment and Child Benefit.
Companies House identity verification#
Directors and people with significant control verify their identity for Companies House through One Login, and receive a Companies House personal code that connects that identity to their roles. A director's change of name is still reported to Companies House itself: GOV.UK lists changes to directors' personal details among the changes a company must file. Changing a director's name with Companies House has the form and the steps.
What to have ready#
Your One Login email address and password, the phone you use for security codes, and photo ID that matches the name you are giving. Your deed poll is not uploaded to One Login, but keep it to hand: the services you tell, and the organisations that issue your photo ID, may ask to see it.
Questions people ask
Can I prove my identity with a passport in my maiden name?
GOV.UK's pages for the One Login app do not say the photo ID must be in your current name; they say it must be one of the listed types and that an expired passport cannot be used. If you prove your identity with security questions instead, the name on your document must match exactly what Experian or DWP holds about you.
Does changing my name with HMRC change it on One Login?
No. HMRC keeps its own records, and its online services can be reached with either Government Gateway or One Login sign-in details. Telling HMRC changes HMRC's record. Changing your name with HMRC has the steps.
Should I delete my One Login and start again in my new name?
GOV.UK does not suggest it. Deleting permanently removes your sign-in details, the identity you proved and the record of services you used, so you could no longer sign in to those services with it, and you would have to prove your identity again on a new one. Contact GOV.UK One Login first.
Can I change the email address on my One Login after marriage?
Yes. GOV.UK lists your email address among the sign-in details you can change once you are signed in, along with your password and how you get security codes.
Something else? Ask us, and a person replies by email, normally the same working day.
