Could a delayed phone call land you with a tax investigation?

Have you ever tried to phone the taxman, only to find your call has got stuck in a seemingly interminable queue? Worried this could even land you with a tax investigation?

Sometimes it seems a triumph of hope over experience. You’ve been sitting there on hold for over 30 minutes, but you daren’t put the phone down after investing so much time in trying to get through. After all, the moment you put the phone down is the moment you wonder whether your call really was next in the queue.

If this has happened to you, you’re far from alone. It was recently revealed that the average call waiting time at HMRC nudged 35 minutes, just as the deadline for paper self-assessment returns loomed.

HMRC often states its intentions to shorten call waiting times and improve customer service. But until that happens, your best bet is to call between 8.30am and 9.30am, or 12pm and 12.30pm, when call waiting times have been revealed to be lower.

Aside from being infuriating, long call waiting times can cause major problems for taxpayers. If HMRC is understaffed at peak times and you can’t get through, there’s a very real possibility that you won’t get the advice you need – and that can lead to mistakes on your tax return, potentially with serious consequences.

At THP we’ve encountered people who have found themselves the focus of an HMRC investigation because of an innocent mistake made on their tax returns. This is not only inconvenient, but can also be ruinously expensive.

That’s why we prefer to complete your self-assessment return for you. That way you can minimise the chances of mistakes and because we have good contacts at HMRC we find it much easier to clear up any queries on your behalf.

That said, even if your self-assessment tax returns are completed perfectly and you pay what you owe on time, it’s still no guarantee that you won’t become the subject of an HMRC investigation.

Luckily, we have a solution – by subscribing to our Tax Investigation Service you’ll have peace of mind that we’ll take care of the investigation if the taxman comes knocking and that you won’t suddenly find yourself landed with a large bill for the extra professional fees.

So forget the hassle of trying to phone HMRC. Let us take care of your returns and protect you from the negative consequences of any investigation.