Louise Walpole, head of the finance sector at Moneypenny, said: “HMRC is becoming renowned for its poor service. First, in October, it announced plans to shut more helplines and cut phone line access by almost a third by the end of 2024. Then, in December, HMRC revealed that it would be screening calls to its self-assessment (SA) helpline and Agent Dedicated Line (ADL) and answering only those calls deemed “priority” in the run-up to the 31 January SA deadline.

“Despite the continued belief that if customers used online services, the telephone customer service would be more efficient, complaints regarding HMRC’s lengthy wait times and insufficient support continue to roll in from accountants and their clients.

“The industry feels abandoned in its time of need, and with so many job cuts having been made, it does beg the question of whether there are enough resources to manage the online services, not to mention the phone lines.

“Accounting professionals are over-stretched already, particularly at this time of year. Reducing access to HMRC support during this critical period does nothing to reassure the sector that its efforts are appreciated. What’s more, when clients can’t get through the HMRC themselves, their first port of call is their accountant, adding even more fuel to the fire.

“Running a business is hard enough at the moment – people need reassurance and answers, and that comes with great customer service. There were hints in the Autumn Statement of extra funding for HMRC, but looking at the current state of customer and agent communications, it’s clear that none of this was ringfenced for customer service. It may be that the very obvious frustration from the sector may lead to some changes in the upcoming Budget, but one can only hope.”