To contact HMRC from abroad about Income Tax or PAYE, call +44 135 535 9022. For Self Assessment the overseas number is +44 161 931 9070, for National Insurance it is +44 191 203 7010, and for Child Benefit it is +44 161 210 3086. All four lines are open Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm UK time, and closed on bank holidays (checked on GOV.UK, October 2026).

The 0300 numbers you see on letters and on most of GOV.UK are for callers inside the UK. Use the +44 numbers above instead. The rest of this guide covers when to ring from your time zone, what to have in front of you, how to get through the voice menu, and how to keep the cost of a long hold down.

HMRC phone numbers for callers outside the UK

Each HMRC helpline has its own overseas number. Pick the one that matches your question, so you reach the team that handles it first time.

What you need help with	Number from outside the UK	Number inside the UK	Hours (UK time)
Income Tax, PAYE, tax codes, refunds, non-UK resident Income Tax and Capital Gains Tax	+44 135 535 9022	0300 200 3300	Mon to Fri, 8am to 6pm
Self Assessment (registering, filing, paying, penalties)	+44 161 931 9070	0300 200 3310	Mon to Fri, 8am to 6pm
National Insurance (Class 1, 2 and 3, including voluntary contributions)	+44 191 203 7010	0300 200 3500	Mon to Fri, 8am to 6pm
Child Benefit	+44 161 210 3086	0300 200 3100	Mon to Fri, 8am to 6pm

Sources, all checked October 2026: Income Tax enquiries, Self Assessment general enquiries, National Insurance enquiries and Child Benefit general enquiries. All four lines are closed on bank holidays, and HMRC sometimes changes hours around Christmas and the 31 January Self Assessment deadline, so check the page for the line you need before a holiday period. In 2026, for example, the Self Assessment line opened 9am to 4pm on Saturday 31 January for the filing deadline.

The National Insurance number starts with 0191, the Newcastle code, which is why people call it the Newcastle number. It is the line to ring about gaps in your record, voluntary contributions, paying National Insurance abroad (including A1 and certificate of coverage queries) and certificates for healthcare abroad.

How to dial these numbers from your country

On a mobile, type the number exactly as shown, starting with +. Your phone swaps the + for the right exit code. From a landline, replace the + with your country's exit code:

Calling from	Dial this for Income Tax
Any mobile	+44 135 535 9022
Spain, France, Germany, Italy and most of Europe	00 44 135 535 9022
US and Canada	011 44 135 535 9022
Australia	0011 44 135 535 9022
Japan	010 44 135 535 9022

The same pattern works for the other three numbers. Never add a 0 after the 44. If you want the full rules on exit codes and UK number formats, our guide to calling the UK from abroad covers them.

Which HMRC numbers do not work from abroad

Three kinds of HMRC number are a waste of time when you are overseas:

The 0300 numbers. HMRC prints 0300 numbers for UK callers and lists a separate "Outside UK" number on each contact page. Some 03 lines do connect from abroad, but HMRC publishes the +44 numbers for overseas callers, so use those. Our guide to what 03 numbers cost explains how 03 pricing works inside the UK.
Relay UK and textphone numbers. The 18001 prefix (for example 18001 then 0300 200 3300) and the textphone line 0300 200 3519 are UK services for people who cannot hear or speak on the phone. They are not international routes.
Old 0845 and 0800 numbers you might find on old letters, forums or third-party sites. HMRC's current contact pages list 0300 numbers for UK callers, and many freephone numbers cannot be dialled from outside the UK at all.

Also be careful with any number that is not on GOV.UK. Third-party sites sometimes list numbers that do not belong to HMRC at all. If a number does not appear on an HMRC contact page, do not ring it.

When to call HMRC from Spain, the US, Australia and elsewhere

HMRC's lines follow UK time, so the useful window depends on where you live. This table is for 1 November 2026 to 13 March 2027, when the UK is on GMT and North America is on standard time.

You live in	HMRC is open (your local time)	Easiest slot
Portugal, Ireland, Canary Islands	8am to 6pm	Any weekday morning
Spain, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands	9am to 7pm	Mid-morning or after lunch
Cyprus, Greece	10am to 8pm	Late morning
UAE	12pm to 10pm	Early afternoon
Hong Kong, Singapore	4pm to 2am	Straight after work
Sydney, Melbourne	7pm to 5am	Evening, from 7pm
New Zealand	9pm to 7am	Late evening or very early morning
New York, Toronto	3am to 1pm	Morning, from 8am your time
Los Angeles, Vancouver	Midnight to 10am	Early morning, before 10am

Clock changes shift some rows. Between 25 October and 1 November 2026, and again from 14 to 27 March 2027, the US and Canada are on daylight time while the UK is on GMT, so HMRC's hours run one hour later for North American callers (4am to 2pm in New York). From 28 March 2027 the UK moves to BST: Europe's rows stay the same, but the UAE, Singapore and Hong Kong rows move one hour earlier. Australia and New Zealand move one hour earlier on 28 March and another hour when their own clocks go back on 4 April.

If you only have a short window, ring when the lines open rather than in the last half hour before 6pm. A call that is still on hold at closing time will not get answered.

What to have ready before you call

HMRC runs security checks on every call. Failing them means starting again, which is expensive from abroad. Have these within reach:

Your National Insurance number. The Income Tax, National Insurance and Child Benefit pages all ask you to have it ready.
Your Unique Taxpayer Reference (UTR) if your question is about Self Assessment. It is on your Self Assessment letters and returns.
The letter or reference you are calling about, including any dates and amounts.
Your current address and personal details as HMRC holds them. HMRC warns that out-of-date details in your personal tax account can make you fail telephone security. If you moved abroad and never told HMRC, expect extra questions.
Your bank details if you are asking about a refund or a payment.
Pen and paper for the adviser's name, the date and any reference they give you.

If someone else, such as an accountant or relative, will call for you, they need to be authorised first. HMRC's Child Benefit page states that anyone calling on your behalf must be authorised to discuss the claim, and the same principle applies to the other lines.

The Income Tax, National Insurance and Child Benefit lines use speech recognition. A recorded voice asks why you are calling, and you answer in a few words. HMRC does not publish a list of phrases, but short, specific answers tend to work best:

Say "tax code" or "PAYE refund" rather than describing your whole situation.
Mention "non-resident" or "living abroad" if that is the heart of your question, so you are routed to an adviser who handles overseas cases.
If the system misunderstands you, repeat your reason in different, shorter words rather than a long sentence.

HMRC also lets you opt in to voice identification, which can speed up security on later calls. You may still be asked security questions even after you opt in.

A few other practical tips:

Use earphones. You need your hands free for paperwork, and a long hold on speaker drains a battery.
Ask for a reference at the end of the call so the next adviser can find the notes.
Cannot use speech recognition? HMRC's contact pages link to its extra support guidance for people who cannot use the voice system.

Contacting HMRC without phoning

A phone call is not always the best route from abroad. These options are listed on HMRC's own contact pages:

HMRC's digital assistant. For PAYE, tax codes, refunds, employment history, Self Assessment, National Insurance and Child Benefit. If it cannot help, you can ask to be transferred to a webchat with an HMRC adviser, if one is available.
Online forms. Non-UK residents can send an Income Tax or Capital Gains Tax enquiry through an online form on GOV.UK. You need to sign in to use it. HMRC says that if it needs to discuss anything confidential, it will reply by phone or post.
Personal tax account and the HMRC app. Use these to update your address, check your National Insurance record, view your State Pension forecast and manage Child Benefit.
X (formerly Twitter). HMRC answers general questions, not individual cases, at @HMRCcustomers. HMRC lists this service as open Monday to Friday 8am to 8pm and Saturday 8am to 4pm.
Post. Still the slowest option, but useful when you need to send documents.

Online is often the cheaper and faster route for simple changes. Keep the phone for problems that need a conversation, such as a disputed bill or a refund that has gone missing.

What a call to HMRC costs from abroad

All four overseas numbers are ordinary UK geographic numbers (01355, 0161 and 0191), so they are billed like a call to a UK landline. The question is how much your phone charges for that.

How you call	What you pay
UK SIM roaming in a country your plan covers	Often taken from your plan's allowance. Check your provider's roaming page first
UK SIM roaming outside your plan's covered countries	Roaming call rates set by your provider, which can be steep for a long hold
Local SIM in your new country	That carrier's international rate to UK landlines, often high on pay as you go
Free app calling (WhatsApp, FaceTime)	Not possible: these apps cannot call UK landline numbers
BoraPhone from your browser	From $0.04 a minute to UK landlines at the time of writing (October 2026)

GOV.UK's own call charges guidance tells you to check with your phone provider, "particularly if you're calling from abroad", because the published UK prices do not apply to overseas calls.

Hold time is what makes HMRC calls expensive. Say you wait 30 minutes and speak for 10: that is 40 minutes of call time, or $1.60 on BoraPhone at $0.04 a minute. BoraPhone runs in Chrome, Edge, Safari or Firefox, so you can call HMRC from a laptop with no app and no UK SIM. Billing is per minute, rounded up to the next full minute, from a $5 top-up, and the dialer shows the exact rate before you call. The full rates list covers other countries.

If you also need to reach DWP, DVLA or the Passport Office, our guide to UK government helplines from abroad lists their overseas numbers and hours.

Frequently asked questions

Is there a free number to call HMRC from abroad?

No. HMRC's contact pages do not list a freephone number for overseas callers, and many UK 0800 numbers cannot be dialled from outside the UK. The cheapest options are HMRC's online services, or calling the +44 overseas number through a low-cost calling service.

Can I call HMRC's 0300 number from abroad?

HMRC lists a separate "Outside UK" number on each contact page, and that is the number to use. The 0300 numbers are published for UK callers. If you dial an 0300 line from abroad and it fails, switch to the +44 number in the table above.

Can I email HMRC from abroad?

HMRC's contact pages do not list an email address for tax questions. Instead, use the online enquiry forms on GOV.UK (sign-in required), the digital assistant and webchat, or your personal tax account. HMRC will reply by phone or post if your query involves confidential details.

What time is HMRC open for overseas callers?

The Income Tax, Self Assessment, National Insurance and Child Benefit lines are open Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm UK time, and closed on bank holidays. Convert that to your local time using the table above, and remember the UK changes its clocks on the last Sunday of March and October.

What is HMRC's Newcastle number from abroad?

The National Insurance line, often called the Newcastle number, is +44 191 203 7010 from outside the UK. It handles Class 1, 2 and 3 National Insurance enquiries, including voluntary contributions, and is open Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm UK time.

HMRC Contact From Abroad: Phone Numbers That Work Outside the UK