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Accessibility statement for Inheritance Tax service

This accessibility statement explains how accessible this service is, what to do if you have difficulty using it, and how to report accessibility problems with the service.

This service is part of the wider GOV.UK website. There is a separate accessibility statement for the main GOV.UK website.

This page only contains information about the Inheritance Tax service, available at https://www.tax.service.gov.uk/inheritance-tax/what-do-you-want-to-do.

Using this service

Register to complete an Inheritance Tax estate report is a service that allows users to tell HMRC about the value of a person’s estate (the property, money and possessions) after their death. Funds from the estate are used to pay Inheritance Tax to HMRC.

This service is run by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC). We want as many people as possible to be able to use this service. This means you should be able to:

  • change colours, contrast levels and fonts
  • zoom in up to 300% without the text spilling off the screen
  • get from the start of the service to the end using just a keyboard
  • get from the start of the service to the end using speech recognition software
  • listen to the service using a screen reader (including the most recent versions of JAWS, NVDA and VoiceOver)

We have also made the text in the service as simple as possible to understand.

AbilityNet has advice on making your device easier to use if you have a disability.

How accessible this service is

This service is partially compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.1 AA standard.

Some people may find parts of this service difficult to use:

  • text in the link is non-descriptive.
  • there were group elements present that were not contained within a fieldset with a descriptive legend.
  • link text is not descriptive for screen reader users.
  • inline error message does not match the question.
  • button labels are duplicated and non-descriptive.
  • the service times out without informing the user.
  • there are duplicated page titles in the service.
  • when an error is committed and the error summary appears, the link inside the error summary is broken and is unable to be activated.
  • ‘Previous answers’ section of the page is not marked up correctly.
  • interactive elements across the service fail WCAG 2.1 guidelines for non-text contrast.
  • the error message and summary fail to meet WCAG 2.1 and GOV.UK Design System guidelines.
  • the ‘Sign out’ link fails WCAG 2.1 guidelines for colour contrast.

What to do if you have difficulty using this service

You can contact HMRC for extra support if you need help with filling in forms or getting a different format, like large print, audio recording or Braille.

Reporting accessibility problems with this service

We are always looking to improve the accessibility of this service. If you find any problems that are not listed on this page or think we are not meeting accessibility requirements, report the accessibility problem.

If you are not happy with our response

The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) is responsible for enforcing the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018 (the 'accessibility regulations'). If you are not happy with how we respond to your complaint, contact the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS) or the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland (ECNI) if you live in Northern Ireland.

Contacting us by phone or getting a visit from us in person

We provide a text relay service if you are deaf, hearing impaired or have a speech impediment.

We can provide a British Sign Language (BSL) interpreter, or you can arrange a visit from an HMRC advisor to help you complete the service.

Find out how to get extra support from HMRC.

Technical information about this service’s accessibility

HMRC is committed to making this service accessible, in accordance with the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018.

This service is partially compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.1 AA standard, due to the non-compliances listed below.

Non‐accessible content

The content listed below is non-accessible for the following reasons.

Non‐compliance with the accessibility regulations

The text in the link is non-descriptive and may cause confusion to screen reader users navigating the page both in and out of context, as they may not understand the purpose of the link. This doesn’t meet WCAG 2.1 success criteria 2.4.4 (link purpose), 2.4.9 (link purpose) and 3.1.4 (abbreviations). This will be fixed by 1 January 2023.

The date fields have been grouped together using a <fieldset> but have not been given a descriptive legend, this had been left empty. This doesn’t meet WCAG 2.1 success criteria 1.3.1 (info and relationships). This will be fixed by 1 January 2023.

Undescriptive link text and does not allow the user to understand the purpose of the link. This doesn’t meet WCAG 2.1 success criteria 2.4.4 (link purpose) and 2.4.9 (link purpose). This will be fixed by 1 January 2023.

The error message on the final question in the inline help form should also replicate the question ‘What do you need help with?’. This doesn’t meet WCAG 2.1 success criteria 3.3.1 (error identification), 3.3.3 (error suggestion) and 3.3.6 (error prevention). This will be fixed by 1 January 2023.

The ‘How to find these details’ summary buttons in the details components have duplicated and undescriptive labels. This doesn’t meet WCAG 2.1 success criteria 2.4.6 (headings and labels). This will be fixed by 1 January 2023.

There were several times during the testing process where the service timed out without any notification. This doesn’t meet WCAG 2.1 success criteria 2.2.1 (timing adjustable), 2.2.5 (re-authenticating) and 2.2.6 (timeouts). This will be fixed by 1 January 2023.

Duplicate page titles may cause confusion to screen reader users who use them to identify each page and create an outline of the page and its important information. This doesn’t meet WCAG 2.1 success criteria 2.4.2 (page titled). This will be fixed by 1 January 2023.

When an error is committed and the error summary appears, the link inside the error summary is broken and is unable to be activated. This doesn’t meet WCAG 2.1 success criteria 2.4.1 (bypass blocks). This will be fixed by 1 January 2023.

The ‘Previous answers’ section of the page is not marked up correctly and should be presented as a definition list. This doesn’t meet WCAG 2.1 success criteria 1.3.1 (info and relationships). This will be fixed by 1 January 2023.

There are several interactive elements throughout the service which fail to meet WCAG 2.1 guidelines for non-text colour contrast and the GOV.UK Design System guidelines when they receive focus. This doesn’t meet WCAG 2.1 success criteria 1.4.11 (non-text contrast). This will be fixed by 1 January 2023.

When an error was committed on the page, the error message and summary fail to meet guidelines. This doesn’t meet WCAG 2.1 success criteria 3.3.3 (error suggestion). This will be fixed by 1 January 2023.

The ‘Sign out’ link fails WCAG 2.1 guidelines for colour contrast when hovered over and activated using a mouse. This would cause significant difficulties for low-vision users who may have difficulty viewing the link in these focus states. This doesn’t meet WCAG 2.1 success criteria 1.4.3 (contrast minimum) and 1.4.6 (contrast enhanced). This will be fixed by 1 January 2023.

How we tested this service

The service was last tested on 28 January 2021 and was checked for compliance with WCAG 2.1 AA.

The service was built using parts that were tested by the Digital Accessibility Centre. The full service was tested by HMRC and included disabled users.

This page was prepared on 17 September 2020. It was last updated on 17 September 2020.

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