TaxAid helpline

We offer free, independent and confidential advice to anyone with a tax question or problem who cannot afford to pay an accountant or tax adviser. Frances Corrie ACA is the Technical Director at TaxAid and is responsible for ensuring that TaxAid meets high expectations in terms of the quality of advice given. She is a chartered accountant with 20 years’ experience in the tax profession.

The telephone helpline and client advice service is run by the Advice Manager,Caroline Miskin. For advice or an appointment, call our Helpline on 0345 120 3779  between 10am and 12 midday, Monday to Friday.

All our advice is given by qualified tax professionals.

If you are enquiring on behalf of an agency, please look at the ‘Information for Advisors’ page. If you want help with your own tax, follow the text below.

TaxAid has been awarded the Community Legal Services Quality Mark in recognition of the excellence of its advice service.

Telephone advice

When you call us, we will need to ask about your income in order to be able to help you (we also need to ask because we help only those unable to afford to pay for an adviser and use a guideline a maximum of income of £300 per week for a single person).We will then discuss your problem with you and try to help on the telephone if possible. Most straightforward questions can be handled in this way.

We regret that our line is sometimes engaged – we are a small charity helping many clients. If you do not get through at first, please keep trying.

You could send your enquiry by completing the ‘contact us’ form (see link at bottom of this website) , but as a small, busy charity we cannot promise to reply to all queries.

Clients who suffer from mental health problems

A small but significant number of TaxAid’s clients indicate that they suffer, or have suffered, from mental health problems (or ‘mental illness’). This is consistent with wider evidence that

• 1 in 6 adults is suffering from a mental health problem at any one time
• A disproportionate proportion of such individuals live in debt or poverty

Such clients are frequently ‘vulnerable’, and may require special care and attention from TaxAid. Please let your adviser know if you are now receiving, or have in the recent past received, treatment: it may affect how HMRC deal with your tax problem.

Callers with hearing impairments

Our advisers welcome calls via Text Relay and Text Relay Assist – please call 020 7803 4950 to get advice via Text Relay or Text Relay Assist. We can also advise via Talk By Text (by appointment only – please use contact form below to let us know you’d like to use Talk By Text).

Confidentiality

The information that you give to your adviser will normally remain completely confidential and will not be disclosed to anyone outside TaxAid (including HM Revenue & Customs) without your consent. The only exceptions to the above rule are where TaxAid is required by law to pass information to the authorities (e.g. in relation to terrorism) or where there is a serious risk of physical harm to yourself or someone else.

On occasion calls may be recorded for training purposes: confidentiality rules still apply.

Meetings and further help

If the problem is more complicated, we can offer appointments in Birmingham, Bristol, London, Manchester, Newcastle, Plymouth, Sheffield or Shropshire  where you will be seen by a qualified tax professional.

As far as possible, the approach to our meetings is self-help. Your adviser will discuss the problem with you and review any paperwork you have brought. Sometimes it helps to understand the problem if we can contact HM Revenue and Customs during the meeting, although we would never do so without your permission.

Your adviser will answer any questions you may have and explain what you might do to help your situation. If necessary, you may return to us for further help as matters progress.

If your case is very complicated, your adviser may offer to write to HM Revenue and Customs on your behalf, or appear for you before the Tax Tribunal or in the Courts. But as a small charity we cannot normally offer help in this way.

Coming to your appointment?

Appointments in London are usually confirmed by letter. The letter includes directions to our office at 164-180 Union Street, Southwark, SE1 0LH. Please note that we can see people by appointment only.

Disabled access can be arranged so please let us know if you require wheelchair access or any other special arrangements.