diff --git a/app/controllers/TraderReferenceController.scala b/app/controllers/TraderReferenceController.scala
index f6e07f10..6699b1f3 100644
--- a/app/controllers/TraderReferenceController.scala
+++ b/app/controllers/TraderReferenceController.scala
@@ -72,7 +72,6 @@ class TraderReferenceController @Inject() (
         case None        => form
         case Some(value) => form.fill(value)
       }
-
       auditService
         .auditStartUpdateGoodsRecord(
           request.eori,
@@ -130,47 +129,37 @@ class TraderReferenceController @Inject() (
         .bindFromRequest()
         .fold(
           formWithErrors => Future.successful(BadRequest(view(formWithErrors, onSubmitAction))),
-          value => {
-            val oldValueOpt    = request.userAnswers.get(TraderReferenceUpdatePage(recordId))
-            val isValueChanged = oldValueOpt.exists(_ != value)
-            if (isValueChanged) {
-              goodsRecordConnector.filterRecordsByField(request.eori, value, "traderRef").flatMap {
-                case Some(traderRef) =>
-                  for {
-                    updatedAnswers <-
-                      Future.fromTry(request.userAnswers.set(TraderReferenceUpdatePage(recordId), value))
-                    _              <- sessionRepository.set(updatedAnswers)
-                  } yield
-                    if (traderRef.pagination.totalRecords == 0) {
-                      Redirect(navigator.nextPage(TraderReferenceUpdatePage(recordId), mode, updatedAnswers))
-                        .addingToSession(dataUpdated -> isValueChanged.toString)
-                        .addingToSession(pageUpdated -> traderReference)
-                    } else {
-                      val formWithApiErrors =
-                        form
-                          .fill(value)
-                          .copy(
-                            errors =
-                              Seq(elems = FormError("value", getMessage("traderReference.error.traderRefNotUnique")))
-                          )
-                      BadRequest(view(formWithApiErrors, onSubmitAction))
-                    }
-                case None            =>
-                  Future.successful(
-                    Redirect(
-                      routes.GoodsRecordsLoadingController
-                        .onPageLoad(Some(RedirectUrl(onSubmitAction.url)))
-                    )
+          value =>
+            goodsRecordConnector.filterRecordsByField(request.eori, value, "traderRef").flatMap {
+              case Some(records) =>
+                for {
+                  oldRecord      <- goodsRecordConnector.getRecord(request.eori, recordId)
+                  updatedAnswers <-
+                    Future.fromTry(request.userAnswers.set(TraderReferenceUpdatePage(recordId), value))
+                  _              <- sessionRepository.set(updatedAnswers)
+                } yield
+                  if (records.pagination.totalRecords == 0 || oldRecord.traderRef == value) {
+                    Redirect(navigator.nextPage(TraderReferenceUpdatePage(recordId), mode, updatedAnswers))
+                      .addingToSession(dataUpdated -> (oldRecord.traderRef != value).toString)
+                      .addingToSession(pageUpdated -> traderReference)
+                  } else {
+                    val formWithApiErrors =
+                      form
+                        .fill(value)
+                        .copy(
+                          errors =
+                            Seq(elems = FormError("value", getMessage("traderReference.error.traderRefNotUnique")))
+                        )
+                    BadRequest(view(formWithApiErrors, onSubmitAction))
+                  }
+              case None          =>
+                Future.successful(
+                  Redirect(
+                    routes.GoodsRecordsLoadingController
+                      .onPageLoad(Some(RedirectUrl(onSubmitAction.url)))
                   )
-              }
-            } else {
-              Future.successful(
-                Redirect(navigator.nextPage(TraderReferenceUpdatePage(recordId), mode, request.userAnswers))
-                  .addingToSession(dataUpdated -> isValueChanged.toString)
-                  .addingToSession(pageUpdated -> traderReference)
-              )
+                )
             }
-          }
         )
     }
 }
diff --git a/test/controllers/TraderReferenceControllerSpec.scala b/test/controllers/TraderReferenceControllerSpec.scala
index e8eebd2c..364f193c 100644
--- a/test/controllers/TraderReferenceControllerSpec.scala
+++ b/test/controllers/TraderReferenceControllerSpec.scala
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@ import models.{GoodsRecordsPagination, NormalMode, UserAnswers}
 import navigation.{FakeNavigator, Navigator}
 import org.apache.pekko.Done
 import org.mockito.ArgumentMatchers.{any, eq => eqTo}
-import org.mockito.Mockito.{never, verify, when}
+import org.mockito.Mockito.{verify, when}
 import org.scalatestplus.mockito.MockitoSugar
 import pages.{TraderReferencePage, TraderReferenceUpdatePage}
 import play.api.data.FormError
@@ -54,12 +54,14 @@ class TraderReferenceControllerSpec extends SpecBase with MockitoSugar {
   private val currentPage   = firstPage
   private val totalRecords  = 23
   private val numberOfPages = 3
+  private val record        = goodsRecordResponse(
+    Instant.parse("2022-11-18T23:20:19Z"),
+    Instant.parse("2022-11-18T23:20:19Z")
+  )
   private val records       = Seq(
-    goodsRecordResponse(
-      Instant.parse("2022-11-18T23:20:19Z"),
-      Instant.parse("2022-11-18T23:20:19Z")
-    )
+    record
   )
+
   private val emptyResponse = GetRecordsResponse(
     Seq.empty,
     GoodsRecordsPagination(0, 0, 0, None, None)
@@ -360,6 +362,11 @@ class TraderReferenceControllerSpec extends SpecBase with MockitoSugar {
             Some(emptyResponse)
           )
 
+        when(mockGoodsRecordConnector.getRecord(any(), any())(any())) thenReturn Future
+          .successful(
+            record
+          )
+
         val application =
           applicationBuilder(userAnswers =
             Some(emptyUserAnswers.set(TraderReferenceUpdatePage(recordId = testRecordId), "oldAnswer").success.value)
@@ -391,9 +398,19 @@ class TraderReferenceControllerSpec extends SpecBase with MockitoSugar {
 
         val mockGoodsRecordConnector = mock[GoodsRecordConnector]
 
+        when(mockGoodsRecordConnector.getRecord(any(), any())(any())) thenReturn Future
+          .successful(
+            record
+          )
+
+        when(mockGoodsRecordConnector.filterRecordsByField(any(), any(), any())(any())) thenReturn Future
+          .successful(
+            Some(response)
+          )
+
         val application =
           applicationBuilder(userAnswers =
-            Some(emptyUserAnswers.set(TraderReferenceUpdatePage(recordId = testRecordId), "answer").success.value)
+            Some(emptyUserAnswers.set(TraderReferenceUpdatePage(recordId = testRecordId), "BAN0010011").success.value)
           )
             .overrides(
               bind[Navigator].toInstance(new FakeNavigator(onwardRoute)),
@@ -405,15 +422,12 @@ class TraderReferenceControllerSpec extends SpecBase with MockitoSugar {
         running(application) {
           val request =
             FakeRequest(POST, traderReferenceRoute)
-              .withFormUrlEncodedBody(("value", "answer"))
+              .withFormUrlEncodedBody(("value", "BAN0010011"))
 
           val result = route(application, request).value
 
           status(result) mustEqual SEE_OTHER
           redirectLocation(result).value mustEqual onwardRoute.url
-
-          verify(mockGoodsRecordConnector, never()).filterRecordsByField(any(), any(), any())(any())
-
         }
       }
 
@@ -425,6 +439,11 @@ class TraderReferenceControllerSpec extends SpecBase with MockitoSugar {
 
         val mockGoodsRecordConnector = mock[GoodsRecordConnector]
 
+        when(mockGoodsRecordConnector.getRecord(any(), any())(any())) thenReturn Future
+          .successful(
+            record
+          )
+
         when(mockGoodsRecordConnector.filterRecordsByField(any(), any(), any())(any())) thenReturn Future
           .successful(
             Some(emptyResponse)
@@ -465,13 +484,18 @@ class TraderReferenceControllerSpec extends SpecBase with MockitoSugar {
 
         val mockGoodsRecordConnector = mock[GoodsRecordConnector]
 
+        when(mockGoodsRecordConnector.getRecord(any(), any())(any())) thenReturn Future
+          .successful(
+            record
+          )
+
         when(mockGoodsRecordConnector.filterRecordsByField(any(), any(), any())(any())) thenReturn Future
           .successful(
             Some(emptyResponse)
           )
 
         val userAnswers =
-          UserAnswers(userAnswersId).set(TraderReferenceUpdatePage(testRecordId), "oldValue").success.value
+          UserAnswers(userAnswersId).set(TraderReferenceUpdatePage(testRecordId), "BAN0010011").success.value
         val application =
           applicationBuilder(userAnswers = Some(userAnswers))
             .overrides(
@@ -485,7 +509,7 @@ class TraderReferenceControllerSpec extends SpecBase with MockitoSugar {
           val controller = application.injector.instanceOf[TraderReferenceController]
           val request    =
             FakeRequest(POST, traderReferenceRoute)
-              .withFormUrlEncodedBody(("value", "oldValue"))
+              .withFormUrlEncodedBody(("value", "BAN0010011"))
 
           val result: Future[Result] = controller.onSubmitUpdate(NormalMode, testRecordId)(request)
 
@@ -525,6 +549,11 @@ class TraderReferenceControllerSpec extends SpecBase with MockitoSugar {
 
         val mockGoodsRecordConnector = mock[GoodsRecordConnector]
 
+        when(mockGoodsRecordConnector.getRecord(any(), any())(any())) thenReturn Future
+          .successful(
+            record
+          )
+
         when(mockGoodsRecordConnector.filterRecordsByField(any(), any(), any())(any())) thenReturn Future
           .successful(
             Some(response)
@@ -571,6 +600,11 @@ class TraderReferenceControllerSpec extends SpecBase with MockitoSugar {
 
         val mockGoodsRecordConnector = mock[GoodsRecordConnector]
 
+        when(mockGoodsRecordConnector.getRecord(any(), any())(any())) thenReturn Future
+          .successful(
+            record
+          )
+
         when(mockGoodsRecordConnector.filterRecordsByField(any(), any(), any())(any())) thenReturn Future
           .successful(
             None
@@ -633,6 +667,5 @@ class TraderReferenceControllerSpec extends SpecBase with MockitoSugar {
         }
       }
     }
-
   }
 }
diff --git a/test/services/AuditServiceSpec.scala b/test/services/AuditServiceSpec.scala
index f580025f..4982e44e 100644
--- a/test/services/AuditServiceSpec.scala
+++ b/test/services/AuditServiceSpec.scala
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@ import factories.AuditEventFactory
 import models.audits.{AuditGetCategorisationAssessment, AuditValidateCommodityCode, OttAuditData}
 import models.helper._
 import models.ott.response._
-import models.{AdviceRequest, Category1Scenario, CategoryRecord, GoodsRecord, SupplementaryRequest, TraderProfile, UpdateGoodsRecord, UserAnswers}
+import models.{AdviceRequest, Category1Scenario, CategoryRecord, GoodsRecord, SupplementaryRequest, TraderProfile, UpdateGoodsRecord}
 import org.apache.pekko.Done
 import org.mockito.ArgumentMatchers.{any, eq => eqTo}
 import org.mockito.Mockito.{reset, times, verify, when}