Save content
Have you found this content useful? Use the button above to save it to your profile.
AIA

Self assessment emails get thumbs up

by
25th Jul 2014
Save content
Have you found this content useful? Use the button above to save it to your profile.

Agents receiving direct digital communications from HMRC will face client expectations for a more "proactive service", according to HMRC research. 

This week, HMRC published findings from its research into digital self assessment, based on responses from tax agents and more than 750 individuals who use self assessment services.

Two thirds of taxpayers said they would be likely to opt-in to an email reminder service.

Unsurprisingly, however, the report found that accountants also want the communications their clients get from HMRC about errors/late payments/penalties so they can react on their behalf and in good time. 

Digital communications would help agents and their clients when urgent action was needed, as long as agents were pro-active and agreed their roles and responsibilities beforehand, the report said. 

It added that if clients know agents are seeing all communications in real-time, they'll expect a higher level of service from their accountants, "which agents need to deliver against reliably if their client relationship and reputation is to be preserved." 

Digital self assessment is part of the government's 2010 Digital Strategy, which aims to bring more services online. The research was carried out to find out taxpayers and their agents would respond to the service and why.

The study found that over half of the self assessment users interviewed did it themselves. The other 44% either did it themselves with help, or asked someone to do it for them - either a relative or a tax agent.

Those using agents, it said, want to minimise interaction with HMRC. Agents, meanwhile, were keen to preserve their role as 'gatekeepers' and expressed a "need to know about everything that requires action as soon as it arises so they can be pro-active." 

The research found that agents and taxpayers aren't fans of the routine paper communications sent by by the tax department ahead of the October and January deadlines. Paper notifications and reminders from HMRC were found to play little if any role in triggering individuals to file before the deadline. Agents complained about the inconsistency in when the communications were sent and were concerned that if clients received letters about errors or penalty notices instead of or ahead of them, they wouldn't be able to act immediately on clients' behalf.

Both agents and clients requested that HMRC provide shorter, clearer communications in layman's terms and moved routine reminders to email.  

The main concern HMRC found among clients and agents was with the security of emails and other digital communications. Recent phishing scams based on bogus HMRC emails to agents and clients have raised suspicions about whether or not an HMRC email is genuine. Around 39% were concerned they wouldn't be able to tell whether it was a genuine message, while 25% had a more practical concern that they might miss the email. 

The Revenue also asked about its opt-in notifications service, whereby users would be able to opt in or out of electronic communications. 

For taxpayers using accountants who want to opt in, this would meant they would also have to register with self assessment online to gain access to the messages. Around 30% of taxpayers interviewed said they would opt in. But, the Revenue added that if it can give explicit reassurance about security more were likely to do so.

Those dissatisfied with the overall self assessment online experience reported that the website was hard to use, communication was too non-personal and the overall process was too complex.

Replies (1)

Please login or register to join the discussion.

avatar
By johnjenkins
28th Jul 2014 09:39

I can actually see

both points of view on this one.

My first thoughts were "everyone does e-mails why not HMRC".

Then, after 5 of my clients phoned me and asked for their refund, which HMRC had e-mailed them details of, I began to wonder.

So perhaps e-mails should be restricted to agent and HMRC and not involve the client.

Thanks (2)