No case owner
A query is submitted, but nobody owns the next check date.
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HMRC & Companies House
HMRC Delays: How Accountants Can Keep Work Moving
You cannot make HMRC answer faster. You can stop the wait from disappearing into an inbox and becoming your firm's avoidable emergency.
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Recurring tasksClient timelineClient notesInternal vs external deadlines
Quick answer
When HMRC is delayed, log the submission, reference and evidence; set a dated follow-up; protect any separate appeal or filing deadline; and update the client before they chase you. Use HMRC's response-time checker and escalation routes where appropriate. Remindoo can track follow-ups and the communication history, but it does not connect to HMRC.
You’re not alone: why does this feel so frustrating?
Waiting is not passive for an agent. The client still wants an answer, the case may have linked deadlines and somebody must remember when to follow up.
The anger often lands on the firm even when the delay is outside its control. A disciplined record lets you explain what has happened without sounding defensive or guessing.
Why does this keep happening in accounting firms?
Evidence is scattered
Call references, letters and portal screenshots sit in different inboxes.
Deadlines are conflated
Waiting for a response is treated as if every related statutory deadline has paused.
Clients hear nothing
Silence makes the client assume the firm has forgotten.
What is this costing your firm?
Unmanaged HMRC delays consumes partner attention that should be spent on judgement, relationships and developing the team. The hidden cost is context switching: a five-minute interruption often breaks a much longer block of concentrated work.
Unclear ownership creates duplicated effort. One person assumes somebody else has acted, another repeats the chase, and the partner becomes the unofficial control system. That is exhausting and difficult to scale.
Client trust can also erode. Clients rarely see the internal cause; they see slow answers, inconsistent messages or last-minute requests. A reliable process protects the relationship even when the underlying issue is outside the firm's control.
How should accountants manage an HMRC delay?
- 1
Create one case record
Record the issue, tax, period, submission date, reference, evidence and desired outcome.
- 2
Check the official response time
Use HMRC's current checker where the service is covered, rather than relying on an old estimate.
- 3
Separate every deadline
Calendar filing, payment, appeal and follow-up dates independently. Do not assume an open query stops the clock.
- 4
Assign the next action
Give one person a dated follow-up task and a clear escalation route.
- 5
Update the client
Explain what has been done, what remains outside your control and when they will next hear from you.
- 6
Escalate with evidence
Use the appropriate HMRC complaint, review or appeal route when the facts justify it.
How do you make the change stick in a busy practice?
A sensible fix can still fail when it is announced as a new rule and left to compete with client work. Treat the change as a small operational project. Give it an owner, a start date, a review date and a clear definition of success. Test it with a representative group before asking the whole firm to change at once.
1. Put “create one case record” into daily practice
Record the issue, tax, period, submission date, reference, evidence and desired outcome. Write down who owns this step, what evidence shows it happened and when an exception must be escalated. Ask one person who performs the work and one person who reviews it to test the wording. If they interpret it differently, the process is not yet clear enough.
2. Put “check the official response time” into daily practice
Use HMRC's current checker where the service is covered, rather than relying on an old estimate. Write down who owns this step, what evidence shows it happened and when an exception must be escalated. Ask one person who performs the work and one person who reviews it to test the wording. If they interpret it differently, the process is not yet clear enough.
3. Put “separate every deadline” into daily practice
Calendar filing, payment, appeal and follow-up dates independently. Do not assume an open query stops the clock. Write down who owns this step, what evidence shows it happened and when an exception must be escalated. Ask one person who performs the work and one person who reviews it to test the wording. If they interpret it differently, the process is not yet clear enough.
4. Put “assign the next action” into daily practice
Give one person a dated follow-up task and a clear escalation route. Write down who owns this step, what evidence shows it happened and when an exception must be escalated. Ask one person who performs the work and one person who reviews it to test the wording. If they interpret it differently, the process is not yet clear enough.
5. Put “update the client” into daily practice
Explain what has been done, what remains outside your control and when they will next hear from you. Write down who owns this step, what evidence shows it happened and when an exception must be escalated. Ask one person who performs the work and one person who reviews it to test the wording. If they interpret it differently, the process is not yet clear enough.
6. Put “escalate with evidence” into daily practice
Use the appropriate HMRC complaint, review or appeal route when the facts justify it. Write down who owns this step, what evidence shows it happened and when an exception must be escalated. Ask one person who performs the work and one person who reviews it to test the wording. If they interpret it differently, the process is not yet clear enough.
What should partners ask at the weekly review?
Keep the review short and evidence-led. Ask what is waiting, who owns the next action, which internal date is at risk, what the client has been told and whether the same exception has appeared before. The purpose is not to inspect every keystroke. It is to remove ambiguity while there is still time to act.
- Which item has no clear next owner?
- Which promised date is most at risk?
- What are we waiting for from outside the firm?
- Has the client received an accurate update?
- Is this an isolated case or a repeated process failure?
- What decision needs partner judgement today?
What does a realistic 90-day improvement plan look like?
Days 1–30: establish the baseline. Review recent examples, speak to the people doing the work and identify the smallest repeated failure worth fixing. Agree one rule and one owner. Do not redesign the whole practice while the team is still trying to describe the problem.
Days 31–60: run the new process on live work. Record exceptions rather than quietly working around them. Check whether staff can find the right client context, whether dates are realistic and whether the client communication matches what the firm can deliver.
Days 61–90: review the evidence with the team. Keep what improved control, simplify what created administration and stop anything that merely moved the problem elsewhere. Document the final process, decide how it will be monitored and schedule the next review.
Where can Remindoo help—and where can’t it?
Remindoo provides the task ownership and client chronology around the external process.
Recurring tasks
Repeat work is created automatically on schedule.
See featureClient timeline
Full history of notes, emails and actions.
See featureClient notes
Context the whole team can find.
See featureInternal vs external deadlines
Build a buffer before every statutory date.
See featureEmail templates
Standard client messages ready to send.
See featureWhat Remindoo doesn’t do here: Remindoo does not connect to HMRC, submit returns, read HMRC correspondence or change HMRC response times.
Talk through the problem with us
A practical 30-minute walkthrough using your firm’s current process.
What can you change today without buying software?
Start with a written rule for HMRC delays agents. Define what good looks like, who owns the next action, when it must happen and when the issue moves to a partner. Keep the rule short enough that the team will actually use it.
- Choose one owner for every next action
- Use a visible internal deadline
- Record the decision and the reason
- Review exceptions weekly, not only after something goes wrong
How do you know the fix is working?
Use a small set of operational measures that prompt a conversation rather than create a league table. Look at ageing, missed internal dates, repeated rework and work waiting without a named owner. Review the trend with the people doing the work and fix the process before blaming individuals.
Frequently asked questions
Can software solve HMRC delays on its own?
No. Software can make ownership, dates and evidence visible, but the firm still needs clear policies, judgement and consistent follow-through.
Where should a small practice start?
Choose one recurring problem, write down the current process, assign one owner and test a simpler version for four weeks before changing everything else.
Does an HMRC delay stop an appeal deadline?
Do not assume it does. Identify and protect each applicable deadline using current HMRC guidance, and take advice where needed.
How often should clients be updated?
Set an expectation based on the case and update before that date, even if the update is that HMRC has not yet responded.
What evidence should an agent keep?
Keep copies, submission receipts, dates, references, call notes, advice given and client updates in one chronology.
Can Remindoo check HMRC case status?
No. It can schedule follow-ups and record the history, but it has no HMRC connection.
Related challenges and practical guides
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Sources
Last updated: . General guidance, not legal, tax, medical or regulatory advice. Check current primary guidance and take appropriate professional advice.
Why recording every task matters in an accountancy practice
Accounting firms run on deadlines: VAT returns, payroll, confirmation statements, accounts and Self Assessment. Recording every job as a task, with an owner and a date, is the simplest way to make sure nothing is missed.
Avoid penalties
HMRC and Companies House charge penalties for late filing. A task for every deadline, with an internal date before it, gives the team a buffer.
Nothing depends on memory
Recorded tasks mean work continues when someone is off sick, on leave or has left the firm.
Consistent quality
Subtask checklists make every job follow the same steps and reviews, whoever does the work.
Visibility for managers
Filters by owner, status and deadline show at a glance what is late, what is due and who needs help.
Practical tips from UK practice
- Set an internal deadline two to four weeks before every statutory deadline.
- Use recurring tasks for repeat work such as VAT, payroll and bookkeeping.
- Break larger jobs into subtasks, including a review step.
- Comment on the task instead of by email, so the history stays with the work.
Related Remindoo features
Written and reviewed by Waqas Sagar ACA FCCA FMAAT, Chartered Accountant with 18+ years in practice. Founder and MD of Accotax, an ICAEW, ACCA and AAT regulated London practice that has served over 5,000 clients, and founder of Remindoo. Guidance is general; check current GOV.UK and professional body guidance for your firm.
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