Want to cut the wait time when you call the tax man? These are the best times to call
A new study of call waiting times at HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has revealed the best times to call the tax man if you want to get through quickly.
A July parliamentary report revealed that the average call waiting time in October was close to 35 minutes, as the deadline for paper submissions of self-assessment forms approached.
That already came after scrutiny of HMRC's call waiting times increased after its chief executive Lin Homer apologised to MPs last November.
And now research from insurer PfP found that you can cut your wait to just four and a half minutes if you call between 8.30am and 9.30am, or 12.00pm and 12.30pm.
The firm uncovered the reduced waiting time after analysing call waiting times for the first four months of 2016.
Read More: HMRC boasts of "significant recovery" in call handling
And according to PfP, which specialises in tax investigation cover, the worst time to call is between 4.30pm and 5.00pm, when callers spent an average of 12 minutes on hold before speaking to the taxman.
And while 12 minutes was the average, some taxpayers waited as long as 23 minutes.
PfP managing director Kevin Igoe says: “As HMRC continue to rack down on the underpayment of tax, they in addition need to ensure they provide sufficient quality customer service to deal with the subsequent queries from taxpayers.”