HMRC adds vaping duty leaflet to its list of genuine QR code letters

HMRC’s list of authentic QR-coded correspondence now includes a leaflet about Vaping Products Duty and the Vaping Duty Stamps Scheme, added to the page on 16 February 2026, according to the guidance.

The page exists so recipients can check whether a letter’s QR code is genuine before scanning it. The vaping duty leaflet’s code directs users to HMRC’s detailed information on the duty and the stamps scheme.

Vaping duty stamp scheme now has its own entry in HMRC’s verification list

HMRC groups the vaping material with tax correspondence such as VAT notices, Self Assessment statements and Plastic Packaging Tax charge notices. Each entry names the letter or leaflet, describes who receives it, and states where its code leads.

For the vaping leaflet, HMRC says recipients may get it as part of preparation for the duty and the stamps scheme, and the code resolves to the detailed guidance page.

The leaflet’s addition was recorded on 16 February 2026

HMRC’s updates log shows the vaping leaflet entry was added on 16 February 2026. Two later updates followed: on 4 February 2026 the page gained sections on Making Tax Digital for Income Tax and on an overdue-amount letter, and on 10 November 2026 a Making Tax Digital payment awareness letter was added.

The page itself carries a published date of 3 October 2025 and a stated last update of 10 November 2026. The vaping leaflet is that page’s only entry connected to vaping products.

The page confirms an item is genuine but states no duty rates or deadlines

HMRC’s entry covers identification only. It does not set out duty rates, registration steps, stamp ordering or the date the scheme starts, and it sends readers to the separate detailed guidance for that.

Readers should treat the page as a security check rather than a compliance guide. Anyone holding a vaping duty leaflet can match it against HMRC’s listing before scanning; the tax substance sits on the linked guidance.

Supply-side reading for exporters and distributors

Analysis: the entry confirms that HMRC is distributing physical vaping duty material to businesses and expects recipients to verify it through its own list. Companies in the Shenzhen-to-UK supply chain that receive such a leaflet can now confirm it against an official source before acting. The page gives no dates, so order and labelling timing still depends on the detailed guidance it points to.

HMRC directs recipients whose letter is not on the list to its separate checks on whether a letter is genuine and on contact that uses more than one communication method, and asks them to report suspicious phone calls, emails or texts.

Questions readers ask

What does the QR code on HMRC's vaping duty leaflet do?

HMRC says the code takes recipients to its detailed guidance on Vaping Products Duty and the Vaping Duty Stamps Scheme. The check page only confirms the leaflet is genuine.

When did HMRC add the vaping leaflet to the list?

HMRC's updates log records the addition on 16 February 2026.