HMRC call waits fall but taxpayers still face 558 years on hold

Taxpayers collectively spent the equivalent of 558 years waiting for HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) to answer calls last year, despite wait times declining, according to findings from UHY Hacker Young.

The firm said average call waits fell to 18 minutes, down from 23 minutes the previous year, following the hiring of 1,500 staff funded through a £51m boost in May 2024. However,  operational problems continued to disrupt individuals and businesses trying to reach the tax authority.

Many calls were still being abandoned or redirected, leaving some taxpayers unable to claim refunds or pay penalties on time. Confidence in HMRC had been damaged by delays, the firm said.

HMRC briefly met its 85% call-answering target in October and December 2024, but performance slipped to 73% in January 2025. 

UHY Hacker Young said more than half of calls to HMRC remained unresolved or redirected, despite additional staff and investment, leading to late tax repayments and penalties for those unable to speak to officials.

Neela Chauhan, partner at UHY Hacker Young, said: “HMRC is investing £1.4bn over five years on extra tax investigation staff whilst allocating just £51m to improving customer service. This investment is clearly not properly balanced. Whilst huge resources are going into investigating taxpayers very little is being invested in improving the customer service that HMRC provides them with.

“Long call waiting times, unanswered phones, and the problem of taxpayers being frequently left without assistance is only going to be fixed by a proper reallocation of budget within HMRC.”