Two computer discs holding the personal details of all families in the UK with a child under 16 have gone missing.
The Child Benefit data on them include name, address, date of birth, National Insurance number and, where relevant, bank details of 25m people.
Chancellor Alistair Darling said there was no evidence the data had fallen into criminal hands - but urged people to monitor their bank accounts.
The Conservatives described the incident as a "catastrophic" failure.
In an emergency statement to MPs Mr Darling apologised for what he described as an "extremely serious failure on the part of HMRC to protect sensitive personal data entrusted to it in breach of its own guidelines".
The Child Benefit data on them include name, address, date of birth, National Insurance number and, where relevant, bank details of 25m people.
Chancellor Alistair Darling said there was no evidence the data had fallen into criminal hands - but urged people to monitor their bank accounts.
The Conservatives described the incident as a "catastrophic" failure.
In an emergency statement to MPs Mr Darling apologised for what he described as an "extremely serious failure on the part of HMRC to protect sensitive personal data entrusted to it in breach of its own guidelines".
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