HMRC staff need 500,000 sick days per year as millions of taxpayers have not been answered
HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) staff have over half a million sick days each year over the past three years, raising concerns about productivity and taxpayer service levels.
Freedom of Information Requirements show that between August 2024 and July 2025, HMRC employees were absent for 551,064 days. This is a slight decrease from 565,244 the previous year, but is still higher than the 540,052 recorded in August 2022 between August 2022 and July 2023.
These figures are about 65,000, and each employee averages eight sick days per year. In the past three years, HMRC has had a total of 1.6 million days of disease. Over 4 million working days are lost each year throughout the wider civil service, with absenteeism in some departments rising by more than 10%.
Critics say taxpayers are feeling the impact that they are already working with the HMRC to seek help with increasingly complex rules. Last week, Jonathan Athow, the Tax Agency’s Director-General for Client Strategy and Tax Design, admitted to members of Congress that up to 4 million calls are held each year.
Athow was questioned by Labor MP Liam Byrne, who stressed that he owed £46.8 billion in taxes but did not recover them. Asked how many calls were not received, Aso replied: “From the top of my head, we might say three to four million calls.”
The combination of senior staff’s illness and missed calls has prompted criticism from business groups and opposition politicians.
Helen Whately, the Shadow Work and Pension Secretary, described the characters as “shocking.”
“Sick leave is lost for many days. It’s unfair to taxpayers and has caused damage to productivity,” she said.
“People can sign only if they are really sick and unable to work. There are too many patient notes published without proper care or consideration of the situation that is best suited to patients, employers and taxpayers.”
The Taxpayers Alliance also attacked the “pathological culture” described in Whitehall. Elliot Keck, policy director, said:
“Millions of days are losing, creating a fortune for taxpayers at a time when the UK is least affordable and reducing productivity. Civil servants need to grab the grip and make sure employees bring value for money, rather than using leave as time off to extend their vacation rights.”
Tax consultants warn that ordinary workers and small businesses seeking help are feeling the impact. QDOS CEO Seb Maley said the unresolved calls would taxpayers “in the dark”.
“The complexity of the UK tax system shows essential clear, reliable advice. Without effective communication channels, many taxpayers will drive alone in unclear rules. This can easily lead to mistakes and ultimately not complying.”
The rise in absence reflects a wider problem with the British workforce. Analysis by the Financial Times earlier this year showed that civil servants now have more long-term sick leave than during the common crisis. NHS England data shows that more than 11 million patients were issued in 2022-23.
A spokesman for the HMRC defended its record, insisting that its disease rate is “consistent with the UK workforce average”.
“We successfully process millions of customer queries each month, mainly online, and the government is investing £500 million in our digital services so that more people can categorize tax matters without having to wait for the call.”
Despite such commitments, the pressure from tax agencies is increasing to improve service levels. Business groups warn that poor communication and growing disease are undermining confidence in the system and risking further insufficient tax collection.
