Q. What help do HMRC offer for individuals with additional needs?

A. HMRC will offer help if you find it difficult to complete forms, struggle to process complicated information or can’t easily use the internet or phone.

There are additional services available if you’re deaf, hearing-impaired or have a speech impairment, blind or partially sighted or if English isn’t your first language.

To get help from HMRC you should call the relevant contact number and tell HMRC what help you need or arrange a face-to-face meeting if you find it difficult to use the phone. HMRC may decide to send an adviser to meet you and this can even be at your home.

If you find it difficult to deal with HMRC, you can appoint someone to do it for you such as a friend, relative or professional adviser.

All telephone numbers are on HMRC website and HMRC also offers a textphone service for some helplines. If you’re deaf and use British Sign Language (BSL), the Royal Association for Deaf people provides webcam appointments with their tax adviser, a video interpreting service and BSL-captioned video clips linked to HMRC guidance. There is also a BSL guide about how to contact HMRC.

If you're blind or partially sighted, HMRC can provide forms, leaflets or other information in braille, large print, audio on CD and other formats, for example, coloured paper.

If English isn't your first language you can get a friend or family member to interpret phone calls to HMRC although they must be over 16 and with you when you make the call. HMRC can also organise interpreters.