Taxpayers should call the revenue on their way to work in order to avoid delays, according to research by a firm which insurers businesses and individuals against the costs of HM Revenue & Customs tax investigations.
According to the PFP study, which was based on an analysis of call waiting times for the first four months of 2016, the best times to call were between 8:30am and 9:30am or 12pm and 12:30pm when waiting times averaged 4 minutes and thirty seconds, avoiding the peak times of before and after working hours.
This comes after a parliamentary report showed the average call waiting time for one week in October was close to 35 minutes, as the deadline for the paper submissions of self-assessment tax returns approached.
Despite some improvements to call waiting times, there are still concerns that HM Revenue & Customs are unable to cope with the volume of calls they receive at peak times, or as tax deadlines approach, according to PFP.
The worst times to call were between 4:30pm and 5pm, when taxpayers were put on hold for an average of 12 minutes before speaking with an expert at the revenue.
During these periods, some taxpayers waited on hold for close to 25 minutes prior to being connected to an HM Revenue & Customs adviser.
Both members of parliament and industry professionals have said long call waiting times could lead to more mistakes being made on tax returns as taxpayers choose to hang up rather than wait on the line.
Due to staff cuts the helplines are often too understaffed to deal with the demand at peak times.
Kevin Igoe, managing director at PFP said:“There is a real concern that taxpayers will make mistakes on their tax return, if they can’t get hold of HMRC, which could lead to serious consequences.
“Taxpayers understandably want to contact HMRC when it is most convenient for them but this is likely to be at those peak times when call waiting times can reach over 20 minutes.
“Tax returns can be complex for individuals so it’s important they have access to advice and guidance from a professional.
Mr Igoe said for those taxpayers already in disputes with HM Revenue & Customs, difficulties contacting the revenue will be an additional worry.
“As HMRC continue to crack down on the underpayment of tax, they in addition need to ensure they provide sufficient quality customer service to deal with the subsequent queries from taxpayers.”
Daren O’Brien, director at London-based Aurora Financial Solutions said: “This is really useful to know when calling either HMRC or an insurer.
“As a business we wait hours every week trying to speak to someone about tax issues with HMRC or plan details for our clients when on hold to Insurers. It’s a worrying trend as our call logs also show how much its costs our business just to be waiting on hold.”
ruth.gillbe@ft.com
