With just a week to go to the 31 July tax credit renewal deadline, over a million individuals have yet to get in touch with HMRC, which is urging taxpayers to renew online as the fastest and easiest option
Angela MacDonald, HMRC’s director general of customer services, said: ‘We’ve improved our services so customers can renew their tax credits at a time that’s convenient to them but the 31 July deadline is fast approaching.
‘There is a wealth of support available at all times of the day and night from HMRC via gov.uk, the app, or Alexa to help customers get their renewal right.
‘I urge customers who have yet to renew their tax credits to do so as soon as possible, to avoid their payments being stopped.’
Last year 320,000 taxpayers had their payments stopped or altered because they missed the deadline to inform HMRC of changes to their circumstances. These include changes to working hours, income and childcare costs.
HMRC analysis of previous applications shows more than 59% of taxpayers have renewed online or via the HMRC app. This year, HMRC has also launched a service via Amazon Alexa to help answer some of the most frequently asked questions about tax credits renewals. Individuals with Amazon Alexa-enabled devices can ask Alexa to open HMRC and ask for direct links to information and renewals.
Online options are available 24 hours a day, and HMRC is hoping that these will take the pressure off phone services. The most popular times of day to renew by phone are between 10am-12pm and 4:30-6:30pm.
Report by Pat Sweet
