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Trader Support Service is changing: preserve your customs records before 20 October
HMRC says the Trader Support Service is moving to a new platform. Use this records and permissions checklist before the 20 October 2026 switchover.
What HMRC has announced
In a 22 September 2026 news story, HMRC said the new TSS platform will go live for all users next month. Businesses already using TSS are due to receive an email from 1 October with instructions to pre-enrol and access a test environment. Goods movements taking place on or after 20 October must be submitted on the new platform; the current service will not accept new movements from that date.
HMRC says the customs processes and legal and regulatory obligations remain the same. The change is therefore a service transition, not permission to change how you classify goods, support a declaration or evidence a movement.
Build a handover pack for each movement stream
Before the change, export or otherwise retain the records your business relies on to explain its movements. The useful pack will depend on your trade, but can include declaration references, invoices, packing or transport documents, goods descriptions, commodity-code decisions, authorisations, correspondence and submission confirmations. Keep a dated note of what was transferred or re-created in the new service and where the original record remains.
Do not treat a successful profile migration or a new password as proof that an old declaration was correct. Reconcile a sample of recent movements to the business records that support them, and list anything missing for follow-up. This is an internal continuity check, not an HMRC-prescribed checklist.
Check access and permissions before the deadline
HMRC says businesses will need to create a new password and ensure their details and permissions are up to date. Make an owner responsible for the invitation, pre-enrolment and test-environment check. Confirm which staff, customs agents or carriers need access, remove leavers, and record the date on which permissions were checked.
If the email does not arrive, the profile information is wrong or the test journey does not match the business’s route, keep the evidence of the problem and use the support route in the HMRC communication. Do not create a second account or submit a movement in an unverified way merely to work around an access issue.
Keep the old and new trails understandable
Create a simple transition log with the movement date, declaration or transaction reference, old-service location, new-service location, reviewer and any unresolved exception. Save the invitation, profile changes and confirmation messages with the accounting or customs records. After 20 October, check that the new platform’s confirmation can still be matched to the commercial documents and that the person responsible knows where to find the retained evidence.
The platform change does not establish a customs classification, duty result or compliance outcome for your business. For a movement-specific question, follow the applicable HMRC guidance or obtain advice based on the goods and route.
Sources
- HM Revenue & Customs — Trader Support Service users urged to prepare for new platform (2026-09-22)