Although HMRC’s performance data for the quarter ended 30 June 2025 showed an improved performance in dealing with telephone contact, this appeared to have come at the expense of post, as explained in an earlier article. However, data for the quarter ended 30 September 2025 suggests that HMRC has made significant progress in addressing its issues with responding to newly-received correspondence.
Key service targets
Based on the figures for the six months to 30 September 2025, HMRC has:
- Met its target for overall customer satisfaction of 80%.
- Improved its performance on telephone contact in comparison with the previous year. HMRC answered 83.8% of calls in the six months to September 2025, a significant increase on 71.5% for the year to 31 March 2025 and close to its target of 85%.
- Recovered its performance on newly-received post after a disappointing start to 2025-26. For the quarter ended 30 September 2025, HMRC cleared 78.9% of correspondence within 15 working days, driven by a strong performance in the month of September (87%). This compares to 68.6% for the quarter ending 30 June 2025. HMRC’s target for this measure is 80%.
| Quarter ended 30 September 2025 | Quarter ended 30 June 2025 | 2025-26 year to date (1) | Comparison: 2024-25 (3) | Target for 2025-26 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Customer Satisfaction | 79.9% | 80.2% | 80% | 79.7% | 80% |
| Post: correspondence cleared within 15 working days | 78.9% | 68.6% | 73.6% | 76.9% | 80% |
| Post: correspondence cleared within 40 working days | 86.8% (2) | 85.6% | 86.1% | 88.2% | 95% |
| Net easy score | +62.9 | +63.6 | +63.2 | +62.2 | +65 |
| Telephones: adviser attempts handled | 83.8% | 83.8% | 83.8% | 71.5% | 85% |
| Telephones: average speed of answer | 13 minutes 43 seconds | 13 minutes 13 seconds | 13 minutes 30 seconds | 18 minutes 38 seconds | n/a |
| Telephones: callers waiting for more than 10 minutes | 55.3% | 50.4% | 52.8% | 60.6% | n/a |
| Compliance yield | £5.8bn | £9.3bn | £15.15bn | £48bn | £50.4bn |
1. May not total due to rounding.
2. Data provided for July and August 2025 only.
3. Source for figures for 2024-25: HMRC quarterly performance update: January to March 2025 - GOV.UK
Figures may not give the whole picture
Frank Haskew, Head of Taxation Strategy, ICAEW, said: “HMRC’s data suggests that it’s getting closer to delivering the standard of services needed for the tax system to function effectively. If so, that’s good news for taxpayers, agents and the UK economy as a whole.”
“However, our members tell us that they are still experiencing long delays in HMRC responding to correspondence and so we must treat this data cautiously. We would urge HMRC to review its performance measures to make sure they are fit for purpose and encourage the correct behaviours.”
Move to digital services
The percentage of interactions with HMRC that were through automated or digital self-serve channels continues to increase as HMRC closes in on its target of 90% by 2029/30. 77.8% of interactions were through automated or digital self-serve channels at the mid-year point, driven by a strong performance for the quarter ended 30 September 2025 (79.6%). The figure for 2024-25 was 76.2%.
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