21 July 2025

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has today (21 July 2025) announced the Transformation Roadmap. This roadmap sets out over 50 projects that will bring HMRC offerings into the digital age, ensure HMRC is a digital first organisation.

Part of the measures involves using AI to streamline and improve services. This includes:

  • HMRC advisers and caseworkers: using AI capability to automate call summaries and the use of internal GenAI Chat Assistants to support them in their work
  • Digital assistants: developing new AI-powered features to help customers easily navigate HMRC services and improve the ability to update HMRC’s content and guidance on GOV.UK
  • Compliance: delivering an automatic document identifier system for HMRC caseworkers to identify fraudulent documents during compliance activities by using a biometric likeness-liveness check

The press release states “Work is underway to deliver some of the measures set out in the roadmap this tax year, including:

  • extending the rollout of the SMS confirmation service to Self Assessment appeals, complaint cases and some PAYE services
  • improving Self Assessment registration service and streamlining the exit process for those customers who no longer need to file a Self Assessment tax return
  • expanding the rollout of the voice biometrics pilot to make customer verification easier when calling HMRC’s helplines
  • a new service to give employed parents, who are newly liable for the High Income Child Benefit Charge, the choice to pay it directly through their tax code without needing to register for Self Assessment
  • launching an enhanced reward scheme for informants, targeting information on serious non‑compliance in large corporates, wealthy individuals, offshore and avoidance schemes. The new scheme will reward informants with compensation linked to a percentage of any tax taken

Further measures and projects to be delivered as part of the roadmap include:

  • digitalising the Inheritance Tax service to provide a modern, easy-to-use system, that makes submitting returns and paying tax simpler and quicker.
  • launching a new service to allow agents to digitally submit information which may impact their client’s tax code
  • delivering a Digital Disclosure Service to allow customers and intermediaries to correct mistakes, pay liabilities and penalties for all taxes and duties
  • introducing an electronic trade documentation pilot to see how it could improve customs operations
  • progressing the Verifiable Credentials pilot with US Customs and Border Protection to test the use of new internationally interoperable digital credentials and identity standards”

 

Annex B of the roadmap page details the planned deliverables in the project in the following areas:

  1. Income Tax: Pay As You Earn (PAYE) and National Insurance contributions
  2. Income Tax: Self Assessment
  3. Value Added Tax (VAT)
  4. Child Benefit
  5. Customs
  6. Corporation Tax
  7. Inheritance Tax
  8. Agents
  9. Cross-cutting digital improvements

Information provided in this news article may be subject to change. Please make note of the date of publication to ensure that you are viewing up to date information. 

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