Under new plans, HMRC will reduce access to its call centres and helpline advisers at its contact centres by 30% by December 2024 in a bid to force people to move to digital services by default and to try to achieve service level targets.

Speaking to MPs at a Treasury Committee hearing on Wednesday, HMRC chief executive Jim Harra said: ‘We are not resourced to deliver our customer service standards through traditional channels of phone and post so our strategy is to reduce contact demand and to push as much as possible on to digital and online services.

‘We estimate we need to reduce by 30% by the end of next year to hit our service standards with the reduced resources that we have.

‘We have to swim against the current and bring it down so it is 30% lower otherwise we cannot meet service standards. Some of that demand is not necessary. We get about three million calls a year that could do through digital services, with customers asking what’s my national insurance number, what’s my tax code, how do I change my password.’

Newco