• Current students
      • Student centre
        Enrol on a course/exam
        My enrolments
        Exam results
        Mock exams
      • Course information
        Students FAQs
        Student induction
        Course enrolment information
        Key dates
        Book distribution
        Timetables
        FAE Elective Information
      • Exams
        Exam Info: CAP1
        E-assessment information
        Exam info: CAP2
        Exam info: FAE
        Reasonable accommodation and extenuating circumstances
        Timetables for exams & interim assessments
        Interim assessments past papers & E-Assessment mock solutions
        Main examination past papers
        Information and appeals scheme
        JIEB: NI Insolvency Qualification
      • CA Diary resources
        Mentors: Getting started on the CA Diary
        CA Diary for Flexible Route FAQs
      • Admission to membership
        Joining as a reciprocal member
        Conferring dates
        Admissions FAQs
      • Support & services
        Recruitment to and transferring of training contracts
        CASSI
        Student supports and wellbeing
        Learning Hub data privacy policy
        Online Payment FAQs
        Audit qualification
    • Students

      View all the services available for students of the Institute

      Read More
  • Becoming a student
      • About Chartered Accountancy
        The Chartered difference
        What do Chartered Accountants do?
        5 Reasons to become a Chartered Accountant
        Student benefits
        School Bootcamp
        Third Level Hub
        Study in Northern Ireland
        Events
        Blogs
        Member testimonials 2022
        Become a Chartered Accountant podcast series
      • Entry routes
        College
        Working
        Accounting Technicians
        School leavers
        Member of another body
        International student
        Flexible Route
        Training Contract
      • Course description
        CAP1
        CAP2
        FAE
        Our education offering
      • Apply
        How to apply
        Exemptions guide
        Fees & payment options
        External students
      • Training vacancies
        Training vacancies search
        Training firms list
        Large training firms
        Milkround
        Training firms update details
        Recruitment to and transferring of training contract
        Interview preparation and advice
        The rewards on qualification
        Tailoring your CV for each application
        Securing a trainee Chartered Accountant role
      • Support & services
        Becoming a student FAQs
        Who to contact for employers
        Register for a school visit
    • Becoming a
      student

      Study with us

      Read More
  • Members
      • Members Hub
        My account
        Member subscriptions
        Annual returns
        Application forms
        CPD/events
        Member services A-Z
        District societies
        Professional Standards
        Young Professionals
        Careers development
      • Members in practice
        Going into practice
        Managing your practice FAQs
        Practice compliance FAQs
        Toolkits and resources
        Audit FAQs
        Other client services
        Practice Consulting services
        What's new
      • Overseas members
        Working abroad
        Working in Australia
        Overseas members news
        Tax for returning Irish members
      • In business
        Networking and special interest groups
        Articles
      • Public sector
        Public sector news
        Public sector presentations
      • Support & services
        Letters of good standing form
        Member FAQs
        AML confidential disclosure form
        CHARIOT/Institute Technical content
        TaxSource Total
        Audit Qualification requirements
        Pocket diaries
        Thrive Hub
    • Members

      View member services

      Read More
  • Employers
      • Training organisations
        Authorise to train
        Training in business
        Manage my students
        Incentive Scheme
        Recruitment to and transferring of training contracts
        Securing and retaining the best talent
        Tips on writing a job specification
      • Training
        In-house training
        Training tickets
      • Recruitment services
        Hire a qualified Chartered Accountant
        Hire a trainee student
      • Non executive directors recruitment service
      • Support & services
        Hire members: log a job vacancy
        Firm/employers FAQs
        Training ticket FAQs
        Authorisations
        Hire a room
        Who to contact for employers
    • Employers

      Services to support your business

      Read More
☰
  • Find a firm
  • Jobs
  • Login
☰
  • Home
  • Knowledge centre
  • Professional development
  • About us
  • Shop
  • News
Search
View Cart 0 Item

News

  • Home/
  • News
☰
  • News
  • News archive
    • 2020
    • 2019
  • Press releases
    • 2022
    • 2021
    • 2020
  • Newsletters
  • Press contacts
  • Media downloads
  • Podcasts Chartered Accountants Ireland
  • Budget day news

Corporation tax and VAT phone helpline closures once again

Feb 21, 2022

From later this week, HMRC is once again closing its corporation tax and VAT (excluding bereavement) phone helplines on Fridays, this time for one month commencing on Friday 25 February. The VAT helpline will remain open on Friday 4 March given the Monday 7 March filing deadline for VAT returns. The message from Jim Harra, Chief Executive, explaining this in more detail, is set out below. We would welcome your feedback on this decision which is the second time this has occurred since December.

“Over the course of the pandemic, HMRC made choices about the work we prioritised to protect our essential services and the livelihoods of our customer groups who needed it the most. We prioritised the COVID support schemes, the UK’s smooth transition from the European Union and the essential services that keep the tax system running.

In the first half of the year, we focused on stabilising our phone services and our tax credits/child benefit service, while we maintained our customs services well within targets and supported the smooth running of the COVID support schemes until they closed in October 2021. We are now working through the stocks of post that built up over the past year.

During December, we ran a test and learn on the Corporation Tax (CT) and VAT helplines (except bereavement) to assess the impact of telephony closure across three Fridays and used the time to focus on our post backlogs in these lines.

On average, we cleared more than 4,000 additional pieces of post each day during the test and learn. We saw an increased productivity rate among colleagues, above our initial planning assumptions, who were able to focus on the task without stopping mid-way through to take a phone call. 

As anticipated, we saw an increase in telephony contact on Monday’s following the Friday closures, and estimate we received 2,500 extra calls over the three Mondays (using November as a comparator). We were able to offer an acceptable level of service to these customers despite the additional demand.

Our stakeholders were broadly supportive of the pilot and our colleagues were clear in their support of this approach and the focus on recovering post.

Following the success of the December test and learn, the CT and VAT telephony lines will see a further telephony shuttering exercise on Fridays in February and March 2022:

  • CT - 25 February to 25 March 2022 
  • VAT (excluding bereavement) - 25 February to 25 March 2022 (excluding 4 March)

We’ve listened to feedback from our stakeholders and we've selected these dates to avoid key events on these lines, including the VAT peak. This will allow us to maintain our customer service levels throughout the rest of the week.  

Based on current plans, we expect to see a significant improvement in our service levels in these critical areas. 

We are still considering how our learning could be used to help other telephony lines within our business in the future.” 

 

The latest news to your inbox

Useful links

  • Current students
  • Becoming a student
  • Knowledge centre
  • Shop
  • District societies

Get in touch

Dublin HQ

Chartered Accountants
House, 47-49 Pearse St,
Dublin 2, D02 YN40, Ireland

TEL: +353 1 637 7200
Belfast HQ

The Linenhall
32-38 Linenhall Street, Belfast,
Antrim, BT2 8BG, United Kingdom

TEL: +44 28 9043 5840

Connect with us

Something wrong?

Is the website not looking right/working right for you?
Browser support
CAW Footer Logo-min
GAA Footer Logo-min
CCAB-I Footer Logo-min
ABN_Logo-min

© Copyright Chartered Accountants Ireland 2020. All Rights Reserved.

☰
  • Terms & conditions
  • Privacy statement
  • Event privacy notice
  • Sitemap
LOADING...

Please wait while the page loads.