HMRC’s VAT online service for agents to be decommissioned

Agents should use their agent services account to manage the VAT affairs of all clients going forward. HMRC has announced that it will phase out the remaining functionality from its legacy VAT services.   From 16 April 2024, agents will no longer be able to use HMRC’s online service for agents to:  submit a VAT return; […]

Access to HMRC’s VAT helpline to be restricted

HMRC’s VAT helpline will only be open for the five business days ahead of the filing date each month. HMRC has also made permanent the changes to the taxpayer self assessment and PAYE helplines. HMRC has announced that, from 8 April 2024, its VAT general enquiries telephone helpline will only be available for the five […]

NAO’s recommendations in HMRC’s monitoring of tax reliefs

The NAO has published its findings and recommendations on how HMRC monitors the effectiveness of ‘non-structural’ tax reliefs. If this article is supporting your professional development, it can count towards your verifiable CPD hours. Use the pop up at the bottom right corner of your screen to add reading this article as an activity to […]

HMRC’s overlap relief form to launch on 11 September

The form to request overlap information had originally been planned to launch on 29 August 2023, but has been delayed by two weeks. The new online overlap relief form will allow unincorporated businesses and their agents to request the information HMRC holds on the available overlap relief that must be claimed in the 2023/24 transition […]

HMRC’s debt levels remain high as interest rates increase

The increase in HMRC interest rates from 22 August 2023 will make it harder for taxpayers to clear these debts. HMRC is seeing more taxpayers getting into debt and the average value of those debts is increasing as the economic situation remains challenging. The majority of tax debt is owed by small and medium-sized businesses.  […]

Where are the gaps in HMRC’s digital services?

ICAEW’s Tax Faculty wants to get your thoughts on the top priorities for the development of HMRC’s digital services. HMRC is seeking to promote a channel shift, away from phone and post to digital services. Most agents would prefer to interact digitally with HMRC, but agents do not have access to all the services available […]

Check what your tax code means with HMRC’s online tool

HMRC has released a new online tool to help taxpayers understand what their tax code means. Tax codes are used by HMRC to tell an employer how much income tax to withhold through the PAYE system. A person’s tax code may change based on their personal circumstances. If it does, HMRC will inform the taxpayers […]

HMRC’s ‘legislative sandbox’ proposals difficult to implement

In its response to a consultation document issued by HMRC, ICAEW’s Tax Faculty highlighted the difficulties such an approach would cause if used to test potential changes to the administration and operation of the UK tax system. HMRC’s discussion document, The Tax Administration Framework Review: Creating innovative change through new legislative pilots, proposes a new […]

HMRC’s 2022/23 customer service performance falls short

Data on HMRC’s performance in 2022-23 contained in its annual report and accounts, the Charter annual report and research reports reveals the severity of the department’s problems. ICAEW continues to highlight the impact on taxpayers and agents and press for improvement. HMRC failed to meet all its key customer service measures in 2022/23. Customer satisfaction […]

Trial for agents to get HMRC’s response to old post

HMRC is expanding the role of the agent account manager team, which will now assist with processing post that is more than 12 months old. ICAEW and other professional bodies continue to press HMRC on its unacceptable service performance, including long helpline waiting times and delays in handling written correspondence.  In response, HMRC is trialling […]