Half-hour wait for callers to HMRC's self-assessment helpline

The average wait time for HMRC’s self-assessment helpline in January was 27 minutes compared with 12 minutes last year HMRC has confirmed. But the department suggested that if taxpayers were to use online services rather than calling the helpline waiting times would fall. It also denied that call centre staff working from home has led to a decrease in productivity.

In a letter to Harriet Baldwin chair of the Treasury Committee HMRC chief executive Jim Harra said: ‘In December and January so far HMRC’s digital assistant has handled approximately 105 000 interactions providing the answer automatically in more than half of them. When more customers use our online services this frees up our helpline advisers to offer a better service for those customers who have more complex queries or are unable to use online services.’ He estimated that...