Hmrc Reviews 

I waited almost an hour to get through but was then helped by Phill A (from St Helen's) in the PAYE team who was superb. He was kind, empathetic, knowledgeable, and took time to understand my concerns. He went into a lot of detail to explain the mechanics of what was going on, corrected an error he spotted that had been made by someone else, did some speedy calculations, and consulted a more experienced colleague to help resolve my query. Phill left me with a clear way forward as to what to expect, what to check for, and what to do if something happens that's different from what's expected. And all done with that wonderful Scouse accent and sense of humour ! Thank you Phill, much appreciated.

I only get 1 payment a year from my pension in May which is always below the 40% tax threshold. Again this year I was taxed at 40% on everything above my personal allowance. P55 filled in and sent online and was supposed to get a reply within 30 days. I ended up ringing them after 35 days waited around 30 mins to talk to somebody only to be told it had been passed to another department. Gave it a couple more weeks and again rang them after seeing on my report that I was to be taxed at 40% on all pension payments this year so again explained I only get 1 pension payments. Again yesterday noticed that nothing has been changed still waiting a reply but powerless to get this sorted. If any financial institution worked this way they would be reported to the financial ombudsman. I understand there are many issues and difficulty on ensuring people pay the correct tax but this is the 5th year running I have had this issue.

If you work for HMRC just know there’s a special place in hell for you

Absolute waste of space money grabbing shit heads
Sent me a tax bill for £900 for 2024 2025 when I am paye and always have been. They theived enough of me at source. They ain't getting anymore!!!!!!!!!!!

Useless, absolutely useless. PAYE they take one payment and then never again and then sent threatening letters. I am still being charged interest from an overdue interest payment for 6 years now. No possible way of resolving. I have paid twice and they can't find it as they said it must have been paid to a different reference. Impossible to speak to anyone with half a brain.

Absolutely shocking website, which seems designed to be difficult & off putting. I have wasted over an hour trying to get my tax refund.

I needed to contact the self employment assessment department, going by all the bad reviews I expected nothing but disappointment. I rang and listened to a lot of automated speaking which does annoy slightly when you just need to speak to someone. Inside a few minutes I got to speak to a pleasant girl who dealt will my issue immediately, hopefully my information has been noted on their computer and I don't hear from them again, I was assured all is well, so maybe I just got in on the phone at a good time, at 4 o'clock.

All of my working life I've never had any contact or interaction with HMRC. Always paid through PAYE.

Today I rang them to try and get the £1100 in tax I've overpaid. I've never spoken to such an apathetic, unsympathetic person in my life.

He had a loud fan running in the background and I could barely hear what he was saying and I constantly had to ask him to repeat what he had said. Five minutes before the end of the call he turned the fan off!

I told him my situation (teacher for 30 years , claiming teachers pension from last September but working with supply agencies on an ad hoc basis) yet he still asked me a list of questions (obviously read from a script) one of which was "had I earnt any money from working on off shore oil rigs". I nearly spat my coffee out at that one. His tone was monotone and uninterested.

He asked me questions that I didn't know answers to, questioned me about the names of the supply agencies (one of which has a different name on HMRC than what they are known as). I must have said "no" to 99% of what he asked me.

Anyway because I have zero clue how much tax I've paid on the measly amount of savings I have they can't process my refund until all information is gathered.

My refund will arrive anytime between now and November. But lesson learnt - keep a record of all those 3p, 2p etc my current accounts earned.

They are terrible.

Just spoke to Paul who works in the department that deal with customers that have been taxed too much . Very impressed with his help and advice. Such a pleasure to deal with . He is sending out a form for my husband to fill in and post back . Thank you so much Tina Rumsey

Refund of overpayment £3k they have decided to “keep” until they feel
It’s right to refund But if I’m a late payment payer then I’m fined ? How is that

I had a specific query about the tax band PSA is applied to as this appeared to be incorrect in the self assessment calculation and was emailed with generic information already read which was no help. The people on the phone just read back the emails and could not answer my query. On my 4th complaint. The organisation is a mess.

54 mins holding and no answer. Website was useless! Excellent at demanding money but zero rating for their service! Shambles!

I’ve just had the most reassuring phone call with an agent call sandy!
What a guy so understanding gave great advice on my situation. Faith restored
Thank you sandy

I am taking the opportunity to express my appreciation for the exceptional assistance I received in obtaining my UTR number. After experiencing difficulties accessing my GOV.UK account due to a change in my phone number, I contacted customer service and was fortunate to be assisted by a representative named Odunola, who also goes by Lola. Her professionalism, care, and kindness made a significant difference during this challenging process. She provided clear explanations regarding the next steps after registering me in the system. Odunola's customer service exemplified the highest standards of excellence at GOV.UK HMRC. Thank you for your outstanding support.

If this was a company it would have gone bust years ago. Slow to pick up. Unhelpful. Not user friendly. Not digital. Lacking customer service..... and all this while TRYING to give them money. Totally inept and needs a total overhaul. Utterly rubbish service.

I requested a certificate that I didn't receive, though on my account it says 'completed'. The AI assistant can't help, virtual human assistants are always unavailable and it's impossible to get through on the phone.

After waiting days for the new online system to offer me help. i turned to the HMRC phone system for aid, i got through pretty quickly although the reminders for other services was distracting but i persevered & didn't have to wait long for contact, i was then transferred to a specialist in for my enquiry who responded well & my enquiry was resolved quickly & efficiently.

Yet again HMRC excels in incompetence!

I have asked 3 times since 9th December 2025 for a 24/25 Tax Year P800 calculation but, despite promises, still have not received one. My Government Gateway account states for 24/25 Tax Year "You paid the right amount of tax. There is nothing more to pay for this year." but HMRC has changed my Tax Code for 26/27 and say I owe tax for 24/25. They are indeed right, I do owe tax on 24/25 savings interest, but this doesn't show in my Government Gateway account. HMRC digital services are a disgrace.

And be warned, HMRC conjures up a figure for untaxed interest that is ALWAYS WRONG. Every year you must ask HMRC for a breakdown of accounts/interest they use to conjure up this figure.

I am now complaining every year. HMRC must have an army of staff dealing with complaints, and they still cannot fix the root cause of significant recurring problems.

SHAME ON THIS OUTFIT HMRC - IF THEY WERE REGULATED THEY WOULD BE SHUT DOWN.

Let's give credit where credit is due. Ironically, now Ive retired, they've improved. In the past, they took 18 months to respond to my letters.

I recently wrote asking for a duplicate of a document from 2024 that I lost. They responded in 6 weeks.

I nearly fell of my chair. Glad I didn't as it might have hurt.

Absolutely useless! Most of the time the advisers are not available to chat and when you do get into a queue it never moves. I was number 4 in the queue and got quite excited when I moved to number 3 but I have not moved for at least three hours. I guess I will do what everybody else does and give up.