Summary
When an applicant's employment history cannot be fully verified using digital sources (e.g. Open Banking, Payroll or HMRC), we request supporting documents from the applicant so we can complete the verification.
When uploaded documents are required
If an applicant has worked as a sole trader, freelancer or limited company director, it’s likely they were not paid via PAYE. Because of this, digital connections cannot always verify their employment history in full.
To verify periods of non-PAYE work, we require one SA302* document per tax year covering the period of self-employment.
*The SA302 is an official HMRC document which confirms that the applicant has submitted a Self Assessment tax return for a tax year.
Which documents are accepted?
Konfir only accepts official, HMRC-issued SA302s (tax year calculations and tax year overviews) for self-employment verification. The uploaded SA302 must be:
Downloaded directly from the applicant's HMRC online account (instructions for applicants to obtain the correct documents can be found here)
Clearly showing HMRC branding and tax year information
Unmodified and unadulterated
A PDF or standard image format (e.g. PNG, JPEG)
Sized under 5MB
Which documents are not accepted?
Accountant or software-generated SA302s
Alternative document types, such as tax return forms, bank statements or invoices
Edited, redacted or AI generated files
Why uploads fail
Uploads typically fail because the file:
Is not an official HMRC SA302 (other document types are automatically rejected)
Has been edited or altered (uploaded documents are scanned for signs of tampering)
Does not meet technical requirements (wrong file type, file >5MB)