HMRC responds to postal concerns with new taskforce

A new taskforce has been introduced by HMRC to deal with the backlog of postal inquiries following months of discontent from customers, according to Helen Thornley, technical officer at The Association of Accounting Technicians (ATT).

HMRC has been attempting to improve its customer service after recently receiving backlash for its poor service levels for its postal and phone systems. Between 2021 and 2022, HMRC responded to 39.5% of postal queries within 15 days, compared to 70.3% between 2019 and 2020, according to a recent Public Accounts Committee report.

Thornley notes members of the ATT had raised concerns with HMRC about the length of time it takes to respond to their postal requests.

“Delays can have serious consequences for their clients and a lot of agent time is wasted in chasing responses. The ATT have been pushing HMRC to get to grips with the post that has been sitting in a backlog for some months now,” Thornley says.

HMRC has established a dedicated taskforce to handle mail that is over 12 months old; their objective is to noticeably decrease the number of unresolved cases within the coming months.

Customers can now use the Agents’ Issue Resolution Service online form to identify and progress post over 12 months old.

The ATT has been urging HMRC to actively seek a resolution to address the substantial backlog of postal queries accumulated over the past year.

“We have seen exercises like this in the past work well to bring down backlogs of old post in smaller departments. As the trial is running for an initial period to August 4, we urge agents to contact HMRC with any examples of post which has not been dealt with for over 12 months as soon as possible,” says Thornley.

On August 4, HMRC will evaluate the performance of the adjusted service and assess its effectiveness. If the mailbox proves to be successful, they will prolong the trial for an additional period.

A HMRC spokesperson said: “We’re trialling having a taskforce dedicated to responding to 12-month-old post and stopping post waiting this long. We’re continuously monitoring the progress of the taskforce and the length of the trial will reflect progress made.”

“Our online services, including the HMRC app, are quick and easy to use and have been significantly improved. We urge customers to explore these fully before deciding to write to us or wait to speak to us on the phone.”

HMRC aiming to enhance digital offering

HMRC has looked to its digital platforms to improve its current customer service, with the introduction of a Single Customer Account (SCA) a key part of achieving this.

The SCA is intended to be the central hub for all government services, and this project has been praised by the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW),

HMRC aims to reduce the strain on its phone and postal services by enhancing its online platform, ensuring that backlogs can be avoided in the future.

Caroline Miskin, senior technical manager of digital taxation at the ICAEW believes the SCAs will be available for individual taxpayers by 2025.

Moreover, Miskin says it may take a decade to have every tax group using the SCAs.