With Making Tax Digital (MTD) for Income Tax quarterly reporting going live in a few months’ time for nearly a million people, TaxAid plans to rapidly scale up its services to ensure it is able to provide support to vulnerable taxpayers who are affected by the biggest change to tax in a generation.

The major fundraising campaign will enable TaxAid to use advanced triage technology to direct people to the right help, whether specialist support for complex MTD issues or simple guidance for basic queries.

Currently the charity is largely reliant on its telephone helpline, so the extra funding will also be used to expand services to include email, web chat and messaging to ensure disadvantaged taxpayers can access support in ways that work for them.

Over the summer, TaxAid merged with Tax Help for Older People in July 2025 to create a single, stronger voice for tax support for people with tax problems when they cannot afford to pay for help and have nowhere else to turn. The charity plays a vital role with tax advisers and accountants volunteering thousands of hours of support a year, but the MTD rollout is another scale, with little insight into how many tens of thousands of elderly and vulnerable taxpayers will be affected. 

TaxAid CEO Valerie Boggs said: ‘Making Tax Digital represents a major modernisation of the tax system. While beneficial for many, some of the most disadvantaged will not be able to cope with a compulsory digital service or may need help to do so.

‘At the same time, the frozen tax thresholds are bringing more people into self-assessment for the first time. This combination of MTD and fiscal drag is creating unprecedented pressure on those least able to navigate the system, which is why it’s critical we scale up our services now.

‘That is why we’re preparing to launch our new fundraising campaign. We need to invest in new technology, tools, resources, training and online services to make sure we can meet increasing need during this historic transition.’

‘We want to ensure that disadvantaged people can access the support they need so they can adapt successfully. Some people lack access to suitable technology, others are unfamiliar with digital systems, and many will find it challenging to navigate digital-only reporting. Growing our capacity to help has never been more essential.’

TaxAid is also training more than a dozen UK voluntary sector organisations to handle straightforward tax problems locally. This work is already underway, creating a two-tier system where complex cases receive expert attention from TaxAid’s specialist volunteers while simple problems get local solutions from trained partners.

Tax professionals and organisations interested in supporting the campaign can contact director of fundraising, Dr Deborah Graham-Vernon, at [email protected].and visit TaxAid fundraiser page

TaxAid’s network of 300+ specialist volunteer tax advisers helps thousands of vulnerable people navigate complex tax problems they cannot afford to resolve professionally. Last year, TaxAid and Tax Help for Older People together supported more than 18,000 people and secured over £1.2m in debt relief and refunds.

Demand has increased by 58% over the past three years, and the recently merged TaxAid expects this to surge further as MTD is rolled out.

To find out more email director of fundraising, Dr Deborah Graham-Vernon at [email protected] and go to the TaxAid fundraiser page