25 October 2011
Calls to the tax credits helpline will be cheaper from next year
David Gauke (Exchequer Secretary) announced on Wednesday 19 October 2011 that "HMRC expect that they will, by the end of the year be able to offer an 0345 number for those customers calling its tax credit helpline”.
The provision of a 0345 number is expected to result in significant cost savings for the majority of callers to the line. Customers will only pay the same amount as a landline call to an 01 or an 02 number and the price is the same for calls from mobiles. 0345 numbers are included in any discount schemes or inclusive call minutes that you may already have with landline or mobile phone operators.
Ofcom, the telecommunications regulator, introduced 0345 numbers so that consumers could have “confidence in the cost of their calls”.
We hope that similar announcements will be made regarding HMRC's other helplines. These include the child benefit helpline, income tax helpline, national insurance helpline, self-assessment helpline and VAT helpline.