About Shared Workspace

What is Shared Workspace

Shared Workspace is a service that gives businesses and Agents the opportunity to work with HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) online.

It is extremely secure with several layers of both physical and technical security measures which are in line with the International Security Standards.

Shared Workspace is most successful when it is used frequently (daily or weekly) or there are high volumes of information. If your organisation is interested in using the service they will first need to contact HMRC to find out whether it is suitable for their needs.

What it can do

The main feature of Shared Workspace is that it allows us to share information within a central place, known as a Shared Workspace Room, where all parties can view and edit the same documents.

This is a real benefit for businesses who may be geographically dispersed where information is usually shared through email or face to face meetings, which can be both costly in monetary and resource terms. For example: email correspondence can lead to many versions of a document with no way of tracking who has done what.

Having the opportunity to share information together in one place, with the availability of an online discussion facility, this can reduce the need for meetings, therefore saving you time and money.

As well as having joint access to information, Shared Workspace offers other opportunities to enhance the way we deal with each other. The wide range of tools and features gives unique flexibility for designing your Shared Workspace Room around your specific needs, below is a list of tools and features:

  • Folders - These are containers where you can store, organise, comment and vote on files, links, and other pages.
  • Polls - These are facilities where members take a vote. As each vote is registered, the results are automatically listed and displayed.
  • Calendars - This is a place where all key events can be logged centrally. Members can record events on specific days and attach related documents.
  • Discussion forums - These allow group conversations, where you can read other people's comments and contribute your own.
  • Databases - These are one of the most powerful features as they allow you to create, store and categorise large amounts of information.
  • Alerts - You can let other people know when you have added or edited a document by sending an alert. Members will get an email with a direct link to that document.
  • Restricting access - Members can restrict access to tools and documents or hide items completely. This controls who is able to view, read and edit information.

Roles and responsibilities

Customer Organisation Representative (COR)

Your business will need to appoint a Customer Organisation Representative who will act as the initial contact with HMRC.

The COR is the person through whom HMRC negotiates when considering accepting their organisation into Shared Workspace. They are responsible for registering their organisation to use the service and for agreeing the purpose of the Room with HMRC.

The COR does not need access to the Shared Workspace Service but they do have an important role to play in appointing the first two Customer Nominated Contacts who will be responsible for the membership of the organisation within a Room.

The COR is responsible for:

  • liaising with HMRC to add their organisation to Shared Workspace
  • appointing the first two Customer Nominated Contacts (CNC) for their organisation to a Room

Customer Nominated Contact (CNC)

Your business will need to appoint two Customer Nominated Contacts.

The CNC is responsible for carrying out the following activities:

  • Making the request to add a Customer Member to a Room
  • Making the request to change a Customer Member Role
  • Removing a Customer Member from a Room
  • Removing a Customer Member from their Organisation
  • Reissues of Known Facts

What you need to consider

Cost

Shared Workspace is an HMRC Online Service and there are no direct costs.

However, there are certain administration roles that you need to know about which carry resource implications. Please see Roles and responsibilities to find out more information.

Learning

It is important that all members carry out the appropriate learning. Please go to the Learning and Guidance section to find out more.