Taxpayers spent 719 HOURS on hold at HMRC call center in last year as wait times worsen

Taxpayers have spent 719 years on hold with HMRC in the past year as the average wait time for calls to speak to an adviser continues to rise.

The average call duration increased by 19 percent, from 22 minutes and 41 seconds to 27 minutes and two seconds, according to data for the year to June 30 from accountancy firm UHY Hacker Young.

The situation is worsening: in the past three months this figure has increased by 5 percent compared to the previous quarter.

UHY Hacker Young’s research also found that only 42 percent of calls received were handled by an advisor.

The rest of the calls were forwarded, played a busy message, or saw a customer leave the call while on hold.

The tax authorities have come under increased supervision in the past year, because waiting times to speak to an advisor have skyrocketed.

This has only worsened as more people enter the tax system.

More people are now working multiple jobs, and frozen income thresholds mean that some workers now have to pay taxes who previously didn’t earn enough, and even more workers are being pushed into higher tax brackets.

A rise in interest rates means that more people with modest savings may now also be liable to pay tax on their income.

Recent figures from the Tax Authorities also show that more retirees than ever pay income tax on their state pension.

The number of people over state pension age paying income tax has risen from 7.85 million in 2023/24 to 8.51 million in 2024/25 – an increase of 660,000.

At the same time, HMRC has shifted its focus from telephone services to digital support.

However, last summer the company closed its VAT registration helpline and trialled the summer closure of its self-assessment helpline.

This is Money heard from a number of readers affected by the sudden closure of the self-assessment helpline.

We revealed that a woman was hit with fines worth hundreds of pounds for late tax returns, despite not being self-employed for four years.

After six months of trying to resolve the problem, she tried calling the self-assessment line but found it was closed for the summer.

The government has said it will crack down on tax avoidance to help close the tax gap

However, UHY Hacker Young says long wait times also have an impact, making it harder for individuals and companies to resolve issues.

Neela Chauhan, partner at UHY Hacker Young, said: “When the government talks too much about increasing HMRC funding, it is ultimately about tax investigations.

‘It is vital that HMRC receives additional funding to improve its very poor customer service.

‘Delays in processing customer queries are also hampering HMRC’s ability to resolve tax issues.

‘This in turn reduces the amount of tax that HMRC collects. It is also in HMRC’s interests to put an end to the customer service crisis.’

An HMRC spokesperson said: ‘These figures are from several months ago, since then the new government has identified improving customer service as a top priority for HMRC.

‘Although Britain already has one of the lowest tax gaps in the world, ministers are determined to reduce it further, and the Chancellor has pledged significant additional funding to achieve this.’