HMRC makes 'permanent' change for all self-employed people

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) bosses have said changes impacting all self-employed people and business owners have now been made permanent.

In a new update, the government department announced changes to its services as it "continues encouraging customers to get the information they need and carry out their transactions online wherever possible."

It added: "Changes to helpline services to encourage people to go online first have been successfully trialled over the last year and are being rolled out to become a permanent feature of the way HMRC supports customers from 8 April 2024."

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HMRC said this means the Self Assessment helpline will be closed between April and September, and customers will instead be directed to self-serve through its online services.

The Self Assessment helpline will, HMRC added, be open between October and March to deal with "priority queries", while the VAT helpline will be open for five days each month ahead of the deadline for filing VAT returns.

The PAYE helpline will no longer take calls from customers relating to refunds, with customers instead directed to HMRC’s online services, and HMRC advisers will continue to always be available during normal office opening hours to support customers who cannot use online services or who have health or personal circumstances that mean they need extra support.

HMRC said the move is "a vital element of [its] modernisation of the tax system, allowing more customers to self-serve and access the information they need more quickly and easily".

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