HMRC axes its self assessment tax helpline for most callers – leaving taxpayers without phone support in the run up to the return deadline

HM Revenue and Customs will close its self-assessment helpline to the majority of callers from Monday, leaving taxpayers unable to access telephone support in the crucial run-up to the returns deadline.

The tax office is only taking 'priority calls' – and will refer everyone else to its website for help.

The announcement has sparked anger among MPs and tax experts, who warned it could lead to taxpayers accidentally making mistakes on their tax returns and facing fines later.

The run-up to the January 31 tax return deadline is one of the busiest periods for the tax authorities, with approximately 5.5 million taxpayers calling the helpline every year.

This year will be particularly busy as frozen benefits have pushed hundreds of thousands of people into higher tax brackets.

However, HMRC has only given taxpayers two working days' notice of the reduced phone service.

Finance Committee chairwoman Harriett Baldwin said the cross-party group of MPs has repeatedly highlighted its concerns to HMRC about the management of the self-assessment helpline. HMRC imposed a similar closure for three months over the summer.

“Giving the public less than two working days' notice of a significant reduction in services, as the self-assessment deadline approaches, is yet another alarming development for a government service that is increasingly under pressure,” she said.

HMRC said around two-thirds of calls to the Self Assessment helpline can be resolved much more quickly through its online services.

It added that callers would be notified of the expanded online services via recorded messages and text messages.

Priority is given to answering questions that cannot easily be handled online and to customers who need additional support or cannot use the online services.

In a letter to the Treasury Select Committee, HMRC chief executive Jim Harra said the department must reduce the number of contacts via telephone and post by at least 30 per cent by 2025 compared to 2021/22 'to meet our service standards' with the resources available we have'.

Dawn Register, head of tax dispute resolution at accountancy firm BDO, said it was “very unhelpful” that HMRC provided so little notice of the closure.

“Taxes can be complicated and I fear that if people are referred online they will look at the wrong section and find the wrong answer to their question,” she added.

“People calling the helpline are just conscientious citizens trying to pay the right bill.”

Victoria Todd, head of The Low Incomes Tax Reform Group, said she was concerned that some HMRC online services were not yet up to the standard needed to properly support taxpayers.

“Forcing taxpayers to use services that are sub-optimal risks an erosion of confidence in the tax system, leading to errors, non-compliance and more problems for taxpayers and HMRC further down the line,” she added to.