HMRC

[the80sweregreat]

Dh has a query about self assessment ( but he was PAYE at the time)
Cannot get through to the tax office at all
Anyone have any alternative telephone numbers to try ?
After an hour he gave up.
Any ideas or advice on how to actually speak to them ?

All you can do is keep trying.

I know :(
It's so frustrating though

Isn't there a chat bot now?

I think he'll give the chat bot a go next.

I had to phone them (end of November) and it took 1hr and 6 minutes before I spoke to anyone. The on hold music made me want to murder someone by the time they actually answered the call! Oh and the person I spoke to sounded utterly bored!

My daughter is self employed and said the self assessment helpline is closed until 1st February. (They sent her a notification. )

Oh, might explain why they are not answering then , but Dh was never self employed
It's so confusing and yes the music is stabby

If I could play music by ear I could give performances of DWP on hold music. At least they dropped bloomin Vivaldi....

I have had to call twice in the past few weeks and it was at least 45 mins to over an hour both times. I will say that they were incredibly helpful when I did get through but it is miserable waiting g.

Also if it's a basic kind of question they can assist in Twitter

Ring them 5 minutes before closing time. They'll deal with you really quickly then, so they can get home.

Trying to phone them a month before the filing deadline is always difficult because they're inundated. Hence why they are restricting the phone service:

"Until Wednesday 31 January 2024, the Self Assessment helpline can only discuss questions about:

- paying your Self Assessment tax bill
- getting a refund from your Self Assessment account
- completing your Self Assessment tax return

The helpline will be able to deal with other Self Assessment queries from Thursday 1 February 2024."

https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/hm-revenue-customs/contact/self-assessment

If it's one of those reasons, first thing in the morning when the phone lines open is usually quietest.

There are useful guides here if it's a general question.

https://www.litrg.org.uk/tax-guides/tax-basics/self-assessment-understanding-basics

Is it worth asking the question to see if any others on here have been in the same situation?
We clearly aren't HMRC but it might give you an idea on the next step.

My last query was done by email through the HMRC's system. It was slow, but avoided having to hang on a phone handset for an age.

Thank you everyone for your replies
I know they are busy , but the wait times seem far too long and just wanted to know if anyone has the same thing !

You could try via their Twitter/X account - they do seem to answer queries when people @ them with a question.

Thank you

I've also had this twice in November 57 minutes to get through the first time, 42 minutes the second time. Yes the music is awful.