HMRC will now be temporarily closing the Corporation Tax & VAT phonelines throughout February and March to help deal with the COVID post backlog.
Over the trial closure between December and January, on average, HMRC cleared more than 4,000 additional pieces of post each day during the test and learn. However there was an increase in phone calls on Monday’s following the Friday closures, with an estimated 2,500 extra calls over the three Mondays (using November as a comparator). HMRC said it was ‘able to offer an acceptable level of service to these customers despite the additional demand’.
The Corporation Tax and VAT telephone lines will see a further telephone closures on Fridays in February and March 2022:
- Corporation tax – 25 February to 25 March 2022; and
- VAT (excluding bereavement) – 25 February to 25 March 2022 (excluding 4 March).
Based on current plans, HMRC expects to see a significant improvement in service levels in these critical areas.
