HMRC under pressure as backlog mounts Accountants have warned of chronic delays at the tax office, with taxpayers waiting for up to a year for help from HMRC. Analysis shows that waiting times on the self-assessment helpline went from an average of five minutes in 2017 to almost 20 minutes in October 2022, with one in five callers giving up. Caroline Miskin from the ICAEW said: “We are not seeing any significant improvement with the performance issues at HMRC and we understand that it is tackling a backlog of late filing penalties.” She added: “I can’t see any immediate prospect of things getting better without serious additional funding.”