The UK’s largest tax advice charity is launching a major fundraising campaign in the New Year to help vulnerable taxpayers navigate the biggest change to the tax system in a generation.
A single, stronger voice for tax support.
TaxAid, helps people with tax problems when they cannot afford to pay for help and have nowhere else to turn. TaxAid merged with Tax Help for Older People in July 2025 to create a single, stronger voice for tax support.
A historic shift in the tax system.
Government statistics show that 780,000 people with business or property income over £50,000 will be required to join Making Tax Digital (MTD) for Income Tax Self-Assessment from April 2026, with a further 970,000 joining from April 2027.
TaxAid CEO Valerie Boggs said:
“Making Tax Digital represents a major modernisation of the tax system. While beneficial for many, some of the most disadvantaged will not be able to cope with a compulsory digital service or may need help to do so.
At the same time, the frozen tax thresholds are bringing more people into Self-Assessment for the first time. This combination of MTD and fiscal drag is creating unprecedented pressure on those least able to navigate the system, which is why it’s critical we scale up our services now.
“That is why we’re preparing to launch our new fundraising campaign. We need to invest in new technology, tools, resources, training and online services to make sure we can meet increasing need during this historic transition.”
Rising demand – and pressure to scale up.
TaxAid’s network of 300+ specialist volunteer tax advisers helps thousands of vulnerable people navigate complex tax problems they cannot afford to resolve professionally.
Last year, TaxAid and Tax Help for Older People together supported more than 18,000 people and secured over £1.2 million in debt relief and refunds. Demand has increased by 58% over the past three years, and the recently merged TaxAid expects this to surge further as MTD is rolled out.
More ways for people to access TaxAid’s services.
A successful fundraising campaign will enable TaxAid to use advanced triage technology to direct people to the right help, whether specialist support for complex MTD issues or simple guidance for basic queries.
Currently largely reliant on its telephone helpline, the charity will also expand its contact channels to include email, web chat and messaging to ensure disadvantaged taxpayers can access support in ways that work for them.
Valerie added:
“At TaxAid we want to ensure that disadvantaged people can access the support they need so they can adapt successfully. Some people lack access to suitable technology, others are unfamiliar with digital systems, and many will find it challenging to navigate digital-only reporting. Growing our capacity to help has never been more essential.”
Training partners to solve simpler problems locally.
TaxAid will also train more than a dozen UK voluntary sector organisations to handle straightforward tax problems locally. This work is already underway, creating a two-tier system where complex cases receive expert attention from TaxAid’s specialist volunteers whilst simple problems get local solutions from trained partners.
Ensuring nobody falls through the cracks.
“Making Tax Digital will work well for digitally confident taxpayers with straightforward affairs,” Valerie explained. “Our role is to ensure that vulnerable people who need additional support get expert help during this transition. We will call on funders to help us build the digital bridges these taxpayers need – ensuring complex cases get expert attention, simple problems get local solutions, and nobody falls through the cracks as the tax system undergoes its biggest change in a generation.”
Tax professionals and organisations interested in supporting the campaign can contact us.
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