It’s increasingly challenging to connect with a real person at HMRC. In January, nearly a million calls were left unanswered during the rush to meet the self-assessment tax return deadline and avoid a £100 penalty.
A record-breaking 841,945 calls weren’t attended to, and the average waiting time to consult a tax advisor soared beyond 25 minutes for the first time.
Recently, HMRC attempted to shut down its phone lines for about half a year, a plan that was only reversed following Chancellor Jeremy Hunt’s intervention.
Although this idea is currently on hold, it’s evident that HMRC aims to transition customers to digital services, reducing direct human interaction.
Deputy CEO Angela MacDonald has emphasized the focus on encouraging online self-service to better assist customers and optimize taxpayer funds. However, many taxpayers have experienced that certain issues can’t be resolved just by navigating HMRC’s website or using its automated chat service.
The best time to call is 8 am
Numerous online sources suggest that calling HMRC later in the week and during the afternoon might decrease your waiting time. The idea is that most people plan to call early on Monday, so calling later in the day or closer to the weekend might give you an advantage, as others might have already given up by then.
Contradicting this, there’s no benefit in calling at any specific time, including lunchtime, on any particular day. According to him, the most effective time to call is early in the morning, regardless of whether it’s Monday or Wednesday.
Calling at 9 am could result in a prolonged hold time and difficulty in reaching an agent. Many people who are already at work are more likely to call, increasing the chances of encountering an automated message stating the lines are too busy.
Adding to this, calling at 8 am helps avoid a build-up of calls in the queue. He advises callers to brace for a wait time of about an hour, which is significantly longer than the average 25-minute wait time currently reported by HMRC.
The chatbot is not your friend
Users quickly realize that the HMRC website’s chatbot is not human and operates on a pre-determined script. This can be quite frustrating, especially since tax issues are often complex and individualized, making general responses insufficient. However, a useful strategy to use the chatbot effectively.
Instead of detailing your specific issue to the chatbot, you should immediately request to speak with an agent. According to him, when you type “I want to speak to an agent” and persist with this request despite the chatbot’s queries, you’ll eventually be directed to a human agent.
Dont forget that using the chatbot to reach an agent typically involves a wait of 30 to 40 minutes, which is shorter compared to the hour-long wait his clients often face when calling HMRC directly.
Despite knowing strategies to reach HMRC, there’s still a chance your call might not be answered. However, you have to emphasise the importance of persistence when dealing with intricate tax issues. People might seek advice from unqualified sources on platforms like Reddit or TikTok, leading to illegitimate claims without any recourse. This scenario could be problematic both for HMRC and taxpayers nationwide.
