QUESTION: I operate a small accountancy firm with four staff members and I find a lot of time is wasted in trying to contact HMRC with self-assessment and PAYE queries. Have they any plans to change or update their offering?
ANSWER: Effective from October 7 2024, HM Revenue and Customs has introduced significant updates to its support services for tax agents handling self-assessment (SA) and Pay-As-You-Earn (PAYE) queries. These changes are aimed at improving efficiency, reducing waiting times, and providing a more streamlined experience for agents dealing with complex or urgent cases.
The most notable change is the introduction of a single, combined helpline called the Agent Dedicated Line (ADL) for both SA and PAYE queries. This new approach consolidates support into one resource, which HMRC believes will help agents resolve complex issues more effectively.
The ADL will maintain its current phone number and opening hours, ensuring continuity for users familiar with the existing set-up.
Additionally, a new webchat service will be available exclusively for agents. This webchat covers both SA and PAYE but explicitly excludes repayment claims. The restriction on discussing repayment claims through webchat is intended to direct agents to more appropriate channels for such inquiries, like the “Where’s My Reply” (WMR) tool or specific telephony options.
To manage call lengths and ensure fairer access to support, agents will be limited to discussing a maximum of five customers per call or webchat session.
This measure aims to balance the need for in-depth support on complex cases with the need to reduce waiting times for other agents. If a call or webchat session exceeds one hour, HMRC may restrict the number of queries further to support the wellbeing of their advisers.
HMRC has also adjusted how repayment claims are handled to streamline the process. More than a third of calls to the ADL were found to be related to agents checking the status of repayment claims soon after submission.
To manage this high volume, agents must now use the WMR tool to check if the processing date has passed before seeking further updates. If the date has indeed passed, agents can use webchat for PAYE repayments or a new specific telephony option for SA repayments.
These changes come after extensive feedback from agent representative bodies, with HMRC aiming to create a more efficient service that better supports agents’ needs.
HMRC recognises that while many inquiries can be managed through digital channels, complex or urgent issues require direct interaction. This is why they have enhanced their combined ADL and dedicated webchat service, reserving these resources for the more complicated cases that agents encounter.
By limiting the number of customers that can be discussed in a single session, HMRC hopes to reduce overall call duration, which should help more agents get through to experienced advisers faster. This structured approach also aims to minimize stress on HMRC’s support staff, who often face high volumes of queries during peak tax seasons.
HMRC has stated that these changes are part of a trial phase to gather more insights into the types of repayment claims and agent queries. Depending on the data gathered and feedback from this phase, further refinements to the service may be introduced in the future. HMRC continues to work closely with agent representatives to ensure that their services evolve in line with the needs of the professionals they support.
For now, agents are encouraged to familiarise themselves with the new procedures and to continue using digital tools for routine queries to make the best use of HMRC’s resources for more pressing issues.
Shane Martin (shane.martin@aabgroup.com) is director at AAB Group Accountants (www.aabgroup.com). The advice in this column is specific to the facts surrounding the question posed. Neither The Irish News nor the contributors accept any liability for any direct or indirect loss arising from any reliance placed on replies.
