Taxpayers spend total of 800 years waiting to speak to HMRC

UK taxpayers spent the equivalent of 800 years on hold to HMRC in 2022/23, according to a report published by the National Audit Office (NAO).

The report found that funding pressures, job cuts and a push to reduce costs by encouraging people to manage their tax affairs online had all led to a poor call-handling performance by HMRC.

The average time spent waiting on the phone to speak to an adviser in the 11 months to February 2024 was almost 23 minutes – well above the five minutes recorded in 2018/19.

Altogether taxpayers spent 7 million hours, or 798 years, on hold to HMRC in 2022/23, according to the report.

Customer service is in a ‘declining spiral’ at HMRC, which had not met its goals for responding to taxpayer correspondence or telephone calls for several years, the NAO added.

The government has recently announced an extra £51 million in funding to help HMRC improve its telephone helplines.

Gareth Davies, Head of the NAO, said: ‘HMRC’s telephone and correspondence services have been below its target service levels for too long.

‘While many of its digital services work well, they have not made enough of a difference to customers, some of whom have been caught in a declining spiral of service pressures and cuts. HMRC has also not achieved planned efficiencies.

‘HMRC must allow more time for these services to bed in and understand the difference they make before adjusting staffing levels.’

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HMRC to receive extra £51 million in phone funding

The government has announced an extra £51 million in new funding to bring HMRC’s phoneline service back up to the published target of 85% of calls to its advisers being answered.

Last year, 75% of people who phoned HMRC had to wait an average 24 minutes for anyone to answer with 650,000 calls abandoned before they were answered.

In response, HMRC told the Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee that it did not have the resources to meet rising demand for its phone services.

The extra funding was confirmed in a written statement from Nigel Huddleston MP, Financial Secretary to the Treasury.

Victoria Todd, Head of the Low Incomes Tax Reform Group (LITRG), said: ‘The government is right to give HMRC extra resources to better manage demand for its telephone helplines.

‘We hope this will mean that taxpayers can have greater confidence that their queries will be answered, and they can continue to comply with their tax responsibilities.

‘Moving more taxpayers online is a laudable aim, but more work is needed to improve HMRC’s digital services to support that shift. It is likely going to take HMRC some time to deploy this additional resource, meaning things may get worse before they get better.

‘In the longer term, funding to maintain customer service levels by phone and post needs to continue until such time as HMRC’s digital services are good enough to give taxpayers who can use them the support they need.’

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300,000 file tax returns in the first week of the tax year

Almost 300,000 self assessment taxpayers filed their return in the first week of the new tax year, HMRC has revealed.

The early filers were almost 10 months ahead of the 31 January 2025 deadline.

Almost 70,000 people filed their return on the opening day of 6 April this year.

HMRC is encouraging people to file early and avoid the stress of last-minute filing.

The tax authority says early filing can also help with budgeting. A budget payment plan helps spread the cost of tax bills with weekly or monthly payments.

In addition, refunds of overpaid tax will be paid as soon as the return has been processed.

Myrtle Lloyd, HMRC’s Director General for Customer Services, said: ‘Filing your self assessment early means people can spend more time growing their business and doing the things they love, rather than worrying about their tax return.

‘You too can join the thousands of customers who have already done their tax return for the 2023-24 tax year by searching ‘self assessment’ on GOV.UK and get started today.’

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HMRC error means self-employed workers could lose out on state pension

An HMRC error could mean that some low-income, self-employed workers lose out on their entitlement to National Insurance-related benefits like the state pension, warns the Low Incomes Tax Reform Group (LITRG).

The issue centres around the payment of voluntary Class 2 National Insurance contributions (NICs) that can be made by self-employed taxpayers with profits under £6,725.1

These voluntary contributions are usually paid by taxpayers as part of their self assessment return and must reach HMRC by the 31 January following the end of the tax year.

HMRC then automatically transfer the NICs to the taxpayer’s National Insurance record to be counted towards their entitlement to benefits.

However, it appears that HMRC did not initiate the transfer until after the 31 January deadline for the 2022/23 tax year.

In the absence of any action, this could mean that taxpayers miss a qualifying year of NICs.

Antonia Stokes, LITRG Technical Officer, said: ‘The issue is unique to the year in question, and our advice to those who might be affected is to first check to see whether they have received a refund from HMRC.

‘We would also like to see HMRC acknowledge the error and proactively offer help to those taxpayers who have been affected, in line with HMRC’s own charter commitments. However, until they do so, there are practical steps that taxpayers can take to maintain their entitlement to National Insurance-related benefits.’

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HMRC closes self assessment helpline for six months a year

HMRC will close its self assessment helpline for six months every year and urge taxpayers to use its online services instead.

The tax authority is also making changes to its VAT and PAYE helplines. It says the changes follow a successful trial and are now being rolled out permanently.

The self assessment helpline will now be closed from April to September every year, during these months taxpayers will be directed to online services. The self assessment helpline will open between October and March to deal with priority queries.

The VAT helpline will be open for five days every month ahead of the deadline for filing VAT returns. Outside of these days, taxpayers will be directed to use HMRC’s online services.

In addition, the PAYE helpline will no longer take calls from customers relating to refunds.

Angela MacDonald, HMRC’s Second Permanent Secretary and Deputy Chief Executive, said: ‘Online services have transformed our lives and often provide a better service for managing tax – they’re quicker, easier and always available.

‘Changing our services to encourage customers to self-serve online wherever possible will allow our helpline advisers to focus support where it is most needed – helping those with complex tax queries and those who are vulnerable and need extra support.

‘We must maximise every pound of taxpayers’ money. Embracing online self-service allows us to help more customers and improve our customer service levels without spending additional public money.’

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HMRC warns self assessment taxpayers as scam referrals rise

HMRC is warning people to be wary of bogus tax refund offers following the self assessment deadline on 31 January.

The tax authority says that fraudsters could set their sights on self assessment taxpayers, with more than 11.5 million submitting a tax return by last month’s deadline.

HMRC warns that taxpayers who completed their tax return for the 2022/23 tax year by the 31 January deadline might be taken in by an email, phone call or text message offering a tax rebate.

These phishing scams are designed to use personal details for selling on to criminals, or to access people’s bank accounts, says HMRC.

The warning comes after HMRC responded to 207,800 referrals from the public of suspicious contact in the past year to January. This is a 14% increase from the 181,873 reported for the previous 12 months. More than 79,000 of those referrals offered bogus tax rebates.

Kelly Paterson, HMRC’s Chief Security Officer, said: ‘With the deadline for tax returns behind us, criminals will now try to trick people with fake offers of tax rebates.

‘Scammers will attempt to dupe people by email, phone or texts that mimic government messages to make them appear authentic.’

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HMRC warns self assessment taxpayers as scam referrals rise

HMRC is warning people to be wary of bogus tax refund offers following the self assessment deadline on 31 January.

The tax authority says that fraudsters could set their sights on self assessment taxpayers, with more than 11.5 million submitting a tax return by last month’s deadline.

HMRC warns that taxpayers who completed their tax return for the 2022/23 tax year by the 31 January deadline might be taken in by an email, phone call or text message offering a tax rebate.

These phishing scams are designed to use personal details for selling on to criminals, or to access people’s bank accounts, says HMRC.

The warning comes after HMRC responded to 207,800 referrals from the public of suspicious contact in the past year to January. This is a 14% increase from the 181,873 reported for the previous 12 months. More than 79,000 of those referrals offered bogus tax rebates.

Kelly Paterson, HMRC’s Chief Security Officer, said: ‘With the deadline for tax returns behind us, criminals will now try to trick people with fake offers of tax rebates.

‘Scammers will attempt to dupe people by email, phone or texts that mimic government messages to make them appear authentic.’

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Increased income – the double-edged sword

With tax bands and other thresholds frozen, taxpayers should be aware of the implications of their income increasing. Increased income can mean more than facing a higher tax bill.

Higher rate taxpayers need to look at which allowances, reliefs or benefits are no longer claimable and those which are now worth claiming.

Lost reliefs

• Marriage allowance – this is not available once the recipient spouse/civil partner becomes a higher rate taxpayer. The person who made the claim (the lower income spouse/civil partner) should now cancel it on their Government Gateway. However, one way to retain the allowance is for the recipient to make sufficient pension contributions so that their net income remains within the £50,270 basic rate threshold.
• Child benefit – this starts to be clawed back once income hits £50,000 and is completely lost if income reaches £60,000. Within this band, each £1,000 of extra income represents a 10% loss of child benefit. The claw back is by way of a tax charge, with details declared on a self-assessment tax return. Again, pension contributions can reduce the level of income.
• Childcare – if income exceeds a £100,000 threshold, tax-free childcare will no longer be available. Full free hour entitlement will also cease. Both must therefore be cancelled, with the tax-free childcare entitlement amended on the claimant’s Government Gateway. Pension contributions can, once again, help to remain below the threshold.

Using pension contributions

Pension contributions are more attractive once relief is at a higher rate than just the 20% basic rate. Contributions make even more sense if entitlement to marriage allowance, child benefit or childcare is preserved. Given that the personal allowance starts to be tapered away at the same point that tax-free childcare is lost, the overall cost of pension contributions where income just exceeds £100,000 can be negligible.

Tax trap

Aside from the increased rate of tax when income crosses a threshold, the savings allowance is cut in half to £500 for higher rate taxpayers. This is lost altogether once income reaches £125,140. Tax on savings can therefore increase despite the amount of savings income not changing. Investing in Individual Savings Accounts (ISAs) can mitigate the problem, as can pension contributions particularly if income is above the £50,270 threshold.

There are different childcare schemes in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, and Scottish tax rates and thresholds differ.

For information on tax relief for private pension contributions visit the government website.

Record 11.5 million taxpayers file tax returns by 31 January deadline

Data published by HMRC has revealed that a record 11.5 million taxpayers filed their 2022/23 self assessment tax returns by midnight on 31 January.

HMRC stated that 12.1 million individuals were expected to file their tax returns and pay any tax owed.

The peak hour for filing on 31 January was between 16:00 and 16:59 when 61,549 taxpayers submitted their returns. 32,958 filed between 23:00 and 23:59.

HMRC has urged anyone who missed the deadline to submit their tax return as soon as possible – late filing and late payment penalties apply for those who failed to submit by the deadline. It stated that there are many ways to pay, including online, using the HMRC app, by bank transfer or via a Time to Pay payment plan.

Commenting on the figures, Myrtle Lloyd, Director General for Customer Services at HMRC, said: ‘Thank you to the millions of self assessment customers and agents who met the deadline. Anyone who has yet to file and is concerned that they cannot pay in full may be able to spread the cost of what they owe with a payment plan. Search ‘pay your self assessment’ on GOV.UK to find out more.’

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Fall in government borrowing ‘increases possibility of tax cuts’ in Budget

Data published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) has revealed that government borrowing fell to £7.8 billion in December 2023, increasing the possibility of tax cuts in the upcoming Spring Budget.

Experts have suggested that the latest figures may give Chancellor Jeremy Hunt additional ‘wiggle room’ for tax cuts in the Spring Budget on 6 March. During the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland, Mr Hunt hinted that he wants to cut taxes, and stated that low-tax economies are ‘more dynamic, more competitive and generate more money for public services’.

The ONS data also showed that interest payments on government debt fell to £4 billion, down by £14.1 billion when compared to December 2022.

Commenting on the data, a spokesperson for the Treasury said: ‘We are focused on creating a more productive public sector, not a larger one, by reducing admin workloads, introducing early interventions and safely bringing in new tech like AI. This will stop the state growing ever larger and ensure taxpayers’ money is spent on the public’s priorities.’ 

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