Horizon Shortfall Scheme Appeals: proving your identity
Source: gov.uk (2025-08-20)

Guidance on how to prove your identity and the relevant ID verification checks needed as part of the Horizon Shortfall Scheme Appeals process.

To register for the HSS Appeals (HSSA) process, you need to prove your identity. You must submit your ID documents along with your registration form.

ID verification checks are required for all those registering for HSSA. These checks need to be carried out before the Department for Business and Trade (DBT) can conduct the necessary checks to confirm if you are eligible.

The verification process is different depending on several factors, including whether you have legal representation and whether you are a personal representative acting on behalf of a postmaster.

Postmaster with legal representation

If you are, or were, a postmaster and you have legal representation to make an application on your behalf, you need to provide:
- scanned copies or clear photographs of your 3 forms of ID (one piece of photo identification, 2 proof of address documents) – see the list of acceptable ID documents (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/horizon-shortfall-scheme-appeals-proving-your-identity/list-of-acceptable-id-documents) for information on the required ID documentation
- a form of authority from the legal representative (https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6840155acb73e8b12647b3ab/hssa-form-of-authority-for-legal-representative-template.odt), signed by the applicant to confirm that the legal representative has explicit authority to act on your behalf in the HSS Appeals process
- a solicitor’s declaration to support their verification of your ID documents – see the template for legal representative verification statements (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/horizon-shortfall-scheme-appeals-proving-your-identity/legal-representative-verification-statements)
Postmaster without legal representation

If you are, or were, a postmaster and you are acting on your own behalf and do not have legal representation to make an application, you need to provide:
- scanned copies or clear photographs of your 3 forms of ID (one piece of photo identification, 2 proof of address documents) – see the list of acceptable ID documents (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/horizon-shortfall-scheme-appeals-proving-your-identity/list-of-acceptable-id-documents) for information on the required ID documentation
If unrepresented, we also require verification of your identity from a countersignatory. The countersignatory must satisfy various criteria, fully explained in the countersignatory requirements (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/horizon-shortfall-scheme-appeals-proving-your-identity/countersignatory-requirements).

The countersignatory needs to provide:
- a signed confirmation and verification statement – see the template for the countersignatory confirmation and verification statement (https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6809f54f2a86d6dfb2b527b4/countersignatory-confirmation-and-verification-statement.odt)
- a proof of address document for the countersignatory – see the list of acceptable proof of address documents for countersignatories (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/horizon-shortfall-scheme-appeals-proving-your-identity/list-of-acceptable-proof-of-address-documents-for-countersignatories)
Personal representative acting on behalf of a deceased postmaster

If you are a personal representative with legal authority to act on behalf of a deceased postmaster, you need to provide:
- scanned copies or clear photographs of your 3 forms of ID (one piece of photo identification, 2 proof of address documents) – see the list of acceptable ID documents (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/horizon-shortfall-scheme-appeals-proving-your-identity/list-of-acceptable-id-documents)
- documentation to prove that you are legally authorised to act on the deceased postmaster’s behalf – full information on acceptable documentation can be found in the registering for someone else guidance (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/horizon-shortfall-scheme-appeals-proving-your-identity/registering-for-hssa-for-someone-else)
If multiple personal representatives are acting, then we need this documentation for each individual representative.

If you, as a personal representative acting on behalf of a deceased postmaster, do not have legal representation to make an application, then you need to provide:
- verification of your identity from a countersignatory – the countersignatory must satisfy various criteria, fully explained in the countersignatory requirements (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/horizon-shortfall-scheme-appeals-proving-your-identity/countersignatory-requirements)
- a confirmation and verification statement from the third-party countersignatory – see the template for the countersignatory confirmation and verification statement (https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6809f54f2a86d6dfb2b527b4/countersignatory-confirmation-and-verification-statement.odt)
- a proof of address document for the countersignatory – see the list of acceptable proof of address documents for countersignatories (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/horizon-shortfall-scheme-appeals-proving-your-identity/list-of-acceptable-proof-of-address-documents-for-countersignatories)
If multiple personal representatives are acting, then we need this documentation for each individual representative.

If you, as a personal representative acting on behalf of a deceased postmaster, do have legal representation to make an application, then you need to provide:
- a form of authority from the legal representative (https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6840155acb73e8b12647b3ab/hssa-form-of-authority-for-legal-representative-template.odt), signed by the applicant, to confirm that the legal representative has explicit authority to act on their behalf in the HSSA process
- a solicitor’s declaration to support their verification of their client’s ID documents – see the template for legal representative verification statements (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/horizon-shortfall-scheme-appeals-proving-your-identity/legal-representative-verification-statements)
If multiple personal representatives are acting, then we need this documentation for each individual representative.

Personal representative acting on behalf of a postmaster

If you are a personal representative legally authorised to act on behalf of a postmaster, you need to provide:
- scanned copies or clear photographs of the postmaster’s 3 forms of ID (one piece of photo identification, 2 proof of address documents) – see the list of acceptable ID documents (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/horizon-shortfall-scheme-appeals-proving-your-identity/list-of-acceptable-id-documents)
- documentation to prove that you have the legal authority to act on the postmaster’s behalf – full information on acceptable documentation can be found in the registering for someone else guidance (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/horizon-shortfall-scheme-appeals-proving-your-identity/registering-for-hssa-for-someone-else)
If multiple personal representatives are acting, then we need this documentation for each individual representative.

If you, as a personal representative acting on behalf of a postmaster, do not have legal representation to make an application, then you need to provide:
- verification of the postmaster’s identity from a countersignatory – the countersignatory must satisfy various criteria, fully explained in the countersignatory requirements (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/horizon-shortfall-scheme-appeals-proving-your-identity/countersignatory-requirements)
- a confirmation and verification statement from the third-party countersignatory – see the template for the countersignatory confirmation and verification statement (https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6809f54f2a86d6dfb2b527b4/countersignatory-confirmation-and-verification-statement.odt)
- a proof of address document for the countersignatory – see the list of acceptable proof of address documents for countersignatories (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/horizon-shortfall-scheme-appeals-proving-your-identity/list-of-acceptable-proof-of-address-documents-for-countersignatories)
If multiple personal representatives are acting, then we need this documentation for each individual representative.

If you, as a personal representative acting on behalf of a postmaster, do have legal representation to make an application, then you need to provide:
- a form of authority from the legal representative (https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6840155acb73e8b12647b3ab/hssa-form-of-authority-for-legal-representative-template.odt), signed by you, the personal representative, to confirm that the legal representative has explicit authority to act on your behalf in the HSSA process (your legal representative should provide the document for this)
- a solicitor’s declaration to support their verification of the postmaster’s ID documents – see the template for legal representative verification statements (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/horizon-shortfall-scheme-appeals-proving-your-identity/legal-representative-verification-statements)
If multiple personal representatives are acting, then we need this documentation for each individual representative.