ERROR: '1046. Your details aren't recognised by HMRC. Check your company information...'

Summary

How to resolve error 1046 when submitting to HMRC from Sage Payroll.

Description

When you try to submit your payroll data to HMRC, sometimes the following error appears:

'1046. Your details aren't recognised by HMRC. Check your company information matches your Government Gateway credentials' in Sage Payroll.

It can occur if:

  • Your Government Gateway credentials or business details are incorrect in Sage Payroll
  • Your PAYE For Employers account isn't active
  • The Government Gateway is busy at the time of your submission and can't validate your details

Resolution

We recommend you check the following then try the submission again.

Log in to the Government Gateway

You need to log in to the Government Gateway to confirm you have the correct credentials to submit to HMRC.

▼How to log into the Government Gateway

We recommend you use Chrome as your browser and open an Incognito window. This ensures you're not using any potentially incorrect log in details stored in the browser.

  1. Open your Chrome browser.
  2. To open an Incognito window, select the three vertical dots (Customise and control) from the menu.
  3. Choose a New Incognito window.Settings menu with incognito option.
  4. Go to the Government Gateway at online.hmrc.gov.uk and sign in.
  5. Make a note of the user name and password used.

 

Once you log in, verify that your PAYE reference and account office reference are the same as those in Sage Payroll. For help with checking these details in the Government Gateway, contact HMRC.

If you can't sign into the Government Gateway, this confirms that the credentials you're using are incorrect. Contact HMRC for further advice.

Check the details in Sage Payroll

If you can log into the Government Gateway, check the details in Sage Payroll are correct.

▼Check and update the Government Gateway details in Sage Payroll
  1. In Sage Payroll, select Settings from the menu bar.
  2. Select the Payroll Settings option.
  3. Confirm the Employer PAYE reference and Accounts office reference are correct.
  4. Then select Edit login details.
  5. Delete the User ID and Password, then re-enter them.
  6. Select Save login details and then Save.
▼Check and update your business details in Sage Payroll
  1. In Sage Payroll, select your name in the navigation bar.
  2. Select Manage account.
  3. Select Manage business information. 
  4. If the company name or address is different to that registered with HMRC, select Edit business details.
  5. Change as required and select Save.

Retry your submission

Once you've confirmed the details in Sage Payroll are correct, you must try to send your submission again. 

▼How to retry your FPS
  1. In Sage Payroll, select Summary from the menu bar.
  2. Under the HMRC Real Time Information (RTI) Scheme section, find the failed submission.
  3. Select Resolve and select a Late Reason if required.
  4. Untick Use saved credentials.
    Resolve issues window.
  5. Re-enter your Government gateway User ID and Password.
  6. Select Store credentials for future submissions.Enter User ID and Password.
  7. Select Re-Submit.

I'm still getting error 1046

If you're still experiencing this error, contact HMRC for further advice. Ensure your PAYE For Employers service is active and working as normal.

If you receive any other errors, refer to the Submission errors article.

 

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Solution Properties

Solution ID
222001000101772
Last Modified Date
Thu Jun 18 09:38:36 UTC 2026
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