Call waiting times to be included on more helplines
Following a successful trial, messages on the estimated time it will take to speak to an adviser will now be extended to more HMRC helplines from 4 July.
The message will be played at the start of the call so customers can make an informed choice about whether they want to hang on, use our digital services or call back another time.
Call wait time messages are based on the previous day’s average and will be included on the following Helplines:
- Child Benefit
- Tax credits
- VAT
- Online services
- National Insurance
- Construction Industry Scheme
- Employers
Expected call wait times are already given on the PAYE helpline. This has proved successful with a significant number of customers choosing to leave the queue and resolve their query elsewhere. We’ve been able to take more calls from customers who still need to speak to us, and wait times reduced from 40 minutes at the start of the trial, to consistently below 20 minutes.
We want to be open and transparent about how long our customers can expect to wait and encourage the use of our digital services which are quicker and easier than calling us.
New toolkit supporting parents to claim Child Benefit online
Our online Child Benefit claims service means the majority of parents can claim online at a time that suits them, and be paid quicker by claiming through GOV.UK.
To make sure as many parents as possible are benefiting, we’d really appreciate you sharing our Child Benefit Toolkit with your networks. This includes ready-to-share social media visuals (including Welsh language visuals and text), posters and suggested newsletter content, so please use these on your own channels to support parents to claim quickly and easily online.
By logging in through the Government Gateway on GOV.UK or taking just a few minutes to set an account up – parents could receive their first payment in as little as three working days for a straightforward online claim.