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Data suggests improvement on HMRC call handling

Author: ICAEW Insights

Published: 26 Nov 2024

The latest HMRC performance statistics show some improvement following the investment made in May 2024, as ICAEW continues to press for HMRC to be adequately funded.

It was to be expected that it would take some time for the £51m investment in HMRC customer service, made by the former government in May 2024, to be reflected in HMRC’s performance statistics. HMRC needed to recruit and train additional staff before any improvement would become apparent. 

However, the latest statistics, for July to September 2024 do show some improvement, particularly towards the end of the quarter.

  Quarter ended 30 September 2024 Quarter ended 30 June 2024 Apr 2023 to Mar 2024 Target
Customer Satisfaction 80.6% 78.5% 78.6% 80%
Customer correspondence cleared within 15 working days 76.8% 77.1% 76.3% 80%
Customer correspondence cleared within 40 working days not yet available 91.2% 88.9% 95%
Net easy score +63.8 +60 +59.2 +70
Telephones: adviser attempts handled 72.9% 57.5% 66.4% 85%
Telephones: average speed of answer 18.19 minutes 27.02 minutes 23.14 minutes None
Telephones: callers waiting for more than 10 minutes 63.9% 75.9% 70.7% None
Level of HMRC debt £44.8bn £43.4bn £44.6bn None

ICAEW understands that HMRC is currently meeting its target of answering 85% of calls. The additional funding was specifically aimed at achieving this target. The November spending review allocation to HMRC is expected to fund this level of customer service until March 2026. Funding for future years depends on the three-year spending review expected in Spring 2025. ICAEW will continue to press for HMRC to be adequately funded. 

ICAEW is currently working with the Chartered Institute of Taxation on a report on HMRC customer service. This will be launched on 11 December 2024.   

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