How to beat the HMRC queues and get your annual tax query answered

Few things in life are as hard as trying to speak to a human at HMRC.

But despite a switch to online help, some queries cannot be answered by a chatbot. So, at a time when it’s harder than ever to speak to a human at HMRC, The Telegraph explains how to beat the helpline queues.

BEST TIME TO CALL IS 8AM

The theory goes that everyone will think to call first thing Monday morning so you can beat the system by calling later in the afternoon.

But Paul Slokan, private client associate director at tax firm RSM who helps advise his clients with their tax needs, says the best time to call is 8am when the lines open. He warned that leaving this by even an hour and calling at 9am could leave you stuck on hold and unable to get through to an agent.

CHATBOT IS YOUR FRIEND

The chatbot is following a script. This can be frustrating. But, says Mr Slokan, the chatbot can be used as a shortcut to get ahead of the queue.

He said: “The first thing we type in is ‘ I want to speak to an agent’. You then get another message saying, ‘ What is your query?’ To this we reply, ‘ We want to speak to an agent.’

“Once you’ve done that a few times they put you through to an agent.”

SHOULD I WRITE A LETTER? HMRC lists post as one of the methods to contact it, but this is not an efficient way to get your query dealt with. Last July, HMRC created a special taskforce to deal with the more than 37,000 letters at least 10 months old.

Mr Slokan said: “My colleague wrote to HMRC last April and they only just responded this week.”

PERSISTENCE IS KEY

The truth is that even when you’re armed with tips and knowledge, it is still very possible that your call could go unanswered.

But if your tax query is complex and you need advice from HMRC, you should persist and not turn to alternative websites for sub-par advice.

He said: “I have a lot of sympathy for HMRC but we need to find better ways to support taxpayers. A big risk is that people could start to turn to Reddit or TikTok and get their tax advice from unqualified sources.”