HMRC announces major changes that will affect millions of people

Millions of self-employed people and other HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) customers will be subjected to a major change.

The government department announced that it would introduce a series of changes to its helpline services in a bid to encourage people to go through online avenues first. HMRC says the changes are being introduced following a successful trial over the previous year.

Some of the changes include closures to the self-assessment helpline between April and September until a reopening for priority queries between October and March. Meanwhile, the VAT helpline will only be open for five days each month ahead of the deadline for filling VAT returns while customers who want to use the PAYE helpline will no longer be able to make calls related to refunds.

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Angela MacDonald, HMRC’s Second Permanent Secretary and Deputy Chief Executive, said: "Online services have transformed our lives and often provide a better service for managing tax – they’re quicker, easier and always available. Changing our services to encourage customers to self-serve online wherever possible will allow our helpline advisers to focus support where it is most needed - helping those with complex tax queries and those who are vulnerable and need extra support.

"We must maximise every pound of taxpayers‘ money. Embracing online self-service allows us to help more customers and improve our customer service levels without spending additional public money."

All those affected by any closures to relevant helplines are instead being urged to use HMRC's online services. HMRC said advisers will also be available during normal office opening hours to help