Following a surge in enquiries due to the pandemic, HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) has announced it must prioritise its essential services by temporarily closing telephone hotlines.
HMRC will focus on stabilising phone and tax credits/child benefits services, taking extra steps to meet targets and supporting at-risk customers.
During December, the tax authority ran tests on closing their Corporation Tax (CT) and VAT helplines (except bereavement) to assess the impact across three Fridays. The time gained back cleared a backlog of other enquiries.
Based on the success of these tests, the CT and VAT telephony lines will see a further “telephony shuttering exercise” on Fridays between the following dates:
CT – 25 February to 25 March 2022
VAT (excluding bereavement) – 25 February to 25 March 2022 (excluding 4 March)
If you are a business that relies on these phone lines, you need to be aware of this change. Prepare ahead if you need to contact HMRC about CT and VAT matters these days.
