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HMRC’s telephone lines are often busy, especially in the run-up to ‘peak’ tax return filing time – 31 January. If you are struggling to get through, read LITRG’s hints and tips.

Background

Problems getting through to HMRC by telephone seem to make a regular appearance in the news, and recent reports from the BBC and Which? reinforce concerns raised by the Low Incomes Tax Reform Group (LITRG) earlier this year.

The peak season

In the run-up to 31 January, one of HMRC’s busiest times with the peak season of filing self-assessment tax returns, it is worth remembering what you can do if you need telephone support from them.

Hints and tips

Below is a selection of the LITRG’s top hints and tips – including how to access extra support if you have particular needs:

• Some times of the day and year are busier than others and you may find yourself listening to music while on hold in a queue before you are put through to an adviser. Most of HMRC’s lines are open 8 to 8 weekdays and 8 to 4pm on Saturdays. If you can avoid: 
  – the lunch hour, 
  – just after 9 am, and 
  – evenings,
  you should find the waiting time shorter. Try calling at 8.15 am, between say 2 and 4 pm during the week, or for some lines, you could try Saturday.

• If you have a speech impairment, are deaf or hard of hearing or need the help of an adviser at a face-to-face meeting, you can check the 'Dealing with HMRC' pages.
• You can now email HMRC about various matters and avoid using the telephone altogether – for example, to tell them a change of name or address. Also, if your tax code for the present year is wrong, you can contact them by email.
• You can, of course, still write to HMRC, but it will take longer to get a reply. When writing, make sure you quote your tax reference number (National Insurance Number or self-assessment reference number) and head your letter with the subject, for example ‘TAX CODE QUERY’ (this will reduce the time it takes to process your query). Keep a copy of the letter for your records. You can also use the ‘Where’s my reply’ service to find out broadly how long it will take to get a response from HMRC.

Useful links

Visit this article on the LITRG’s website for links to:

BBC news item: Tax helplines 'not good enough' at peak times, government admits
Which article: Tax helpline cut off a third of calls  
LITRG article providing hints and tips to navigating HMRC’s automated answering system  
GOV.UK guidance: Dealing with HMRC if you have additional needs
GOV.UK guidance: Tell HMRC about a change to your personal details
HMRC guidance: Email HM Revenue & Customs to tell them your tax code is wrong  
HMRC progress tool: Where’s my reply?