HMRC has announced that they will be closing their phone lines for people completing a self-assessment tax return during the summer in a bid to get more customers using their online services.
Taxpayers will be unable to call the tax office for help with their tax return between April 8 and September 30.
Customers are encouraged to get the information they need and carry out their transactions online wherever possible.
HMRC said during the trial, more than three million calls were made about topics that could have been done online.
This included tasks such as resetting an online password, getting one’s tax code and finding their National Insurance number.
HMRC said it was the equivalent of 500 people working full-time to answer the calls.
Between October and March, the Self Assessment helpline will be open to deal with priority queries
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The move follows the seasonal pilot where calls to the Self Assessment helpline were directed to the department’s online services, including its online guidance, digital assistant and webchat.
Between October and March, the Self Assessment helpline will be open to deal with priority queries.
Customers with queries that can be quickly and easily resolved online will be directed to HMRC’s online services.Other changes announced include:
- the VAT helpline will be open for five days every month ahead of the deadline for filing VAT returns – outside of this time, customers will be directed to use HMRC’s online services
- the PAYE helpline will no longer take calls from customers relating to refunds – customers will be directed to use HMRC’s online services
- HMRC advisers will continue to be available during normal office opening hours to support customers who cannot use online services or who have health or personal circumstances that mean they need extra support
- all other helplines will continue to operate as they do currently.
HMRC said there will still be help available for those who struggle using online services.
In his Autumn Statement, The Chancellor Jeremy Hunt said the government must get the most out of every pound of taxpayers’ money by boosting productivity.
The government said it believes utilising online services allows HMRC to be more productive over time.
Harriett Baldwin, the chair of the Treasury Select Committee, said the move to online services should not be “forced on taxpayers”.
She said the revenue body has not yet demonstrated that the department or the public “are ready to make such a monumental change to how they resolve tax issues”.
Ms Baldwin said: “It is a great shame that HMRC have decided now is the time to essentially close down any avenues for people to contact them over the phone for huge parts of the year. I say once again, these are well-meaning people just trying to get their taxes right.
“We’ve heard time and time again that every effort is being made to direct people to resolve issues online.
“The committee welcomes efforts to make the tax system more efficient but HMRC has not yet demonstrated that the department or the public are ready to make such a monumental change to how they resolve tax issues.
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HMRC said there will still be help available for those who struggle using online services
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"This should not be forced upon taxpayers until there is evidence that people know how to do their taxes on HMRC’s incredibly complex website.”
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.”