Tackling tax with TikTok

What we are trying to achieve

LITRG’s mission statement from CIOT Council is to ‘target for help and information those least able….to afford to pay for advice and make a real difference to their understanding of the systems of taxation’. This mission contributes to CIOT’s primary purpose to promote education in taxation with a key aim of achieving a more efficient and less complex tax system for all.

Until TikTok, we have largely focused on communicating our information via the LITRG website and via traditional media channels. These have been successful, but we know that most people only find our tax information when they have a reason to seek it out, for example if they start a new job, a life event triggers a need, or maybe HMRC send them a tax demand.

A bigger challenge that has been focusing our minds of late is how we raise awareness of tax issues among people who aren’t seeking out tax information and have no reason to do so, BUT still might need to know something. Posting information on our website doesn’t reach this part of our population. While traditional media does, evidence shows that there has been a huge growth in people getting their news and information via social media apps such as TikTok, which Ofcom says has grown as a news source by 11-fold since 2020.

Whilst there is clearly still a very firm place for reaching large numbers of people via traditional media channels, we also recognise the need to adapt our approach and explore other channels to really achieve our mission and goals. So, inspired by other organisations, such as Shelter, Citizens Advice and British Red Cross, who have been doing amazing TikTok work, we decided in January, to run a TikTok pilot for 6 months.

Why TikTok?

There are two main reasons:

• TikTok has millions of active users, many of whom are young adults and teenagers (although there are increasing numbers of over 45s also using the platform). Content is delivered through very short, informal videos - indeed TikTok’s slogan is ‘real people, real videos’ – which underscores its informal approach to videos. This format encourages concise, engaging videos that convey essential information quickly. Using TikTok means we can engage with different audiences in a space they are familiar with, potentially making learning about tax more accessible and less intimidating.
• TikTok works using an algorithm that shows users videos on their FYP feed (For You Page). This is a page of curated videos based on the kind of content they’ve engaged with in the past. Each new video is ‘tested’, usually with between 200-300 people. The length of time people in the test group watch the video, along with how they interact with it (follows, likes, shares, comments) are all used to determine the video’s path through the platform and how many people it will ultimately reach. Users can also follow creators and when they do, they will see videos from those creators in their FYP feed. However, TikTok doesn’t rely on a creator building up a following of their own in order to get decent reach, because of the FYP function.

What to expect from our TikTok content

Our TikTok channel features a variety of content, including:

• Tax tips and insights: Around key issues, interactions and deadlines etc.We also highlight common tax errors to avoid and share important consumer protection messages (for example around tax refund agents and false self-employment).
• ‘How to’ guides: – for example, how to find downloadable form R40 on GOV.UK or use HMRC’s app to check your employment history or your National Insurance record.
• Bite sized learning:  breaking down complex tax concepts, like tax on savings interest, making it easier for people to digest and understand.
• Explainers: demystifying technical points – e.g. pension tax relief (while juggling!)
• Tax myths debunked: The internet is rife with misinformation, especially concerning taxes, indeed we observed this first-hand in January 2024 when there was much confusion around a new ‘side-hustle’ tax. By establishing a presence on TikTok, we can directly counter misconceptions and provide accurate, reliable information.
• Building a community: TikTok allows interaction - addressing questions from people who are engaging with our content and seeking clarification on tax-related issues, helps foster dialogue and understanding.
• Sharing our expertise: Letting users know who we are and why they should trust us. This means we can demonstrate that we are tax experts, trusted HMRC stakeholders and members of the Chartered Institute of Taxation - showcasing our wider work, the importance of our tax system and the profession.

Although we have the very sensible aim of trying to empower people with the knowledge they need to make themselves tax savvy, we try not to take ourselves too seriously. Humour, visuals, and trends help make our videos entertaining at the same time as sharing important and trustworthy messages.

What have we achieved and learnt so far?

Based on our research into how similar organisations have used TikTok, our initial goal was to get around 150 followers within the first 6 months. 3 months in and we have just passed the 1000 follower-mark. This is largely thanks to some videos that were very popular reaching over 100,000 views with lots of likes, comments and shares.

Top videos to date

Although we are still in early stages of our pilot, here are some of the things we have observed:

• The videos with the most views seem to address real and specific issues for taxpayers (even if they don’t know they have them). The ones where we are trying to raise awareness of general points, our ‘brand’ and website don’t appear to be as popular.
• TikTok prefers videos made via its own platform, not imported via third party platforms using their features and templates etc.   
• Of the videos with the most views, the majority of these views were from the over 45 age group. This was perhaps not what we expected when we started, but it shows that the demographic on TikTok is changing.
• What goes ‘viral’ and what doesn’t can be completely random. It is a constant case of experimenting with different types of content, video styles, formats and lengths to see what works and what doesn’t.
• You don’t need to appear in videos or talk to the camera to get a viral video – one of our videos with over 100k views did not feature a person but instead showed a personal tax account demo with a voice over. We have also managed to make tax content with our pets, holiday snaps, Lego, and Post It notes!
• TikTok’s insights area contains information about the type of content users are searching for, and this can inspire new ideas. For some reason, Premium Bonds feature regularly as a content gap (and you will see we have tried to respond to this in our videos). Other tax-related ones at the time of writing include ‘my trading setup’, ‘taxes 2025 filing’, ‘tax associate’, ‘easy ways to earn money’ and ‘id verification tax refund’ – all very helpful insight.
• TikTok takes time!  We are aiming for at least one or two TikTok’s per day, and have uploaded more than 100 at the time of writing. At times it can feel intensive and there is some pressure to keep coming up with ideas. However, reaching people and helping them understand the tax system is a core part of LITRG’s mission statement as well as the CIOT’s wider public education role, and it’s good to experiment with new ideas, especially when we can show that it is having an impact.
• The comments people leave have real value. They provide first-hand evidence of the areas of the tax system that people are struggling with most and the challenges they may face in engaging with HMRC. We need to be able to properly understand the wants and needs of people in order to truly be able to represent them and give them a voice. Some examples of comments are below. They can be fed into our wider policy work, ensuring it is evidenced based and reflective of taxpayer experience:
  • If you work for someone for 12 weeks on the bounce with a regular shift pattern, then IR35 dictates you gotta be taken on cards in.
  • My code has changed from S1257L to S654T do you know what this means?
  • So if ur cash earns more than £1000 per year its taxable over that ?, that’s easy enough to go over ??
  • I have worked for the same company for over 21 years paye but HMRC are now saying I owe the money how can that be ?
  • What if I take money out of my Stocks and Shares ISA and add say £500 a month on top of my state pension do I have to pay any tax
  • Why should the state pension be taxed when some other much higher benefits are not taxed?

Where will we end up?

At the end of our six-month trial, we will evaluate the pilot to see whether we think it has been a success. That will involve looking at various metrics and indicators like the number of shares/views/likes, follower growth, engagement rate, increases in traffic to our website and so on.

Our videos tend to be short and sweet – simply made on our mobile phones. We have agreed parameters and clear boundaries for posting and have a workable and proportionate review process, which all help with minimising time needed. But there is still a resource cost so we will need to assess whether the benefits are worth the resource invested.

If we conclude that there has been a benefit to this work, then there are further possibilities, such as making TikTok a permanent feature of our communications strategy and being able to repost TikTok content on other social media channels such as You Tube shorts and Instagram.

We don’t know exactly where this will go just yet, but we would be delighted if you joined us on this exciting journey, as we try and break down barriers and make tax fun and interactive.

Please do follow along and help us grow our reach. Liking, following, commenting, sharing seems to be what the mysterious TikTok algorithm likes the most. It means that our videos will get pushed out to more people, will help us reach a broader and more diverse audience and really establish ourselves as the most trusted voice for tax related information on the platform.

Our TikTok handle: @litrgtax