Poll: it takes us over 30 minutes to get through to HMRC
We asked how long it's taken you to get through to HMRC in the last six months. The results are eye-opening.
It takes most of us at least half an hour to get through to the taxman, according to a new poll.
HMRC recently claimed that improving service levels meant callers had to wait just six minutes on average to speak to an advisor in the last six months.
However, our research suggests waiting times are actually far longer: of the more than 600 who spoke to an advisor during this period, a whopping 63% of you were left waiting over 30 minutes.
You can see the full results in the image below.
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As you can see, only 6% of loveMONEY respondents were able to match or beat the "average" call-waiting time mentioned by the taxman.
According to the National Audit Office (NAO), badly-timed job cuts at HMRC left many callers waiting for over an hour to speak to an advisor over an 18-month period between 2014/2015 and 2015/2016. This wasted £97 million of caller money on the combined cost of time spent waiting for calls to be answered and someone dealing with their query.
The taxman argues that waiting times have improved since NAO’s report was published, claiming that it’s now offering its "best service levels in years", praising its new online tax accounts and webchat service.
How long has it taken you to get through to the taxman? Vote in the poll now!
Save your hard-earned money tax-free with a Cash ISA: compare top market deals on loveMONEY today
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