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Accessibility statement for Tax Credits 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 Tax Credits service, available at https://www.tax.service.gov.uk/tax-credits-service.

Using this service

The Tax Credits service can be used by anyone currently receiving tax credits to check upcoming payments, or to report a change of circumstances for themselves or anyone else on their claim.

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:

  • some of the labelling of fields, radios and checkboxes is wrong and could confuse users of assistive technology
  • some of the links do not work
  • some content is duplicated
  • some code is presented and duplicated which can confuse people
  • the heading on the time out pop is missing
  • some hidden text is not read out by screen reading software
  • on some pages, screen reader users are not told that the content is expanded

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

On several pages, the radio buttons are not labelled correctly. This causes confusion for people using screen readers. This fails WCAG Success Criteria 4.1.2 Understanding Name, Role, Value and How to Meet Name, Role, Value (Level A). And 1.3.1 Understanding Info and Relationships and How to Meet Info and Relationships (Level A). This will be fixed by 31 March 2024.

On several pages, the summary skip link does not work. This means that the user must navigate manually. This fails WCAG Success Criteria 2.4.1 Understanding Bypass Blocks and How to Meet Bypass Blocks (Level A). This will be fixed by 31 March 2024.

On the page to report a change from self-employed to employed, the ‘Select which of these you will get?’ link does not take users to the place where they can choose their answer. There is no error message between the question and the answer options which makes it difficult for people using screen readers to navigate manually. This fails WCAG Success Criteria 2.4.1 Understanding Bypass Blocks and How to Meet Bypass Blocks (Level A). This will be fixed by 31 March 2024.

On the page where users confirm their address, the address we have for them is shown twice. This is confusing for users who will not understand why this is or which to select. This fails WCAG Success Criteria 4.1.1 Understanding Parsing and How to Meet Parsing (Level A). This will be fixed by 31 March 2024.

On the children and childcare pages, there is a duplication in the code. This will be particularly difficult for people using assistive technology as part of the content may be missed. This fails WCAG Success Criteria 4.1.1 Understanding Parsing and How to Meet Parsing (Level A). This will be fixed by 31 March 2024.

On the page where users estimate their profit from self-employment, there is code terminology that will be read by a screen reader and should not be. This will be confusing as the user will not understand the terminology used. This fails WCAG Success Criteria 4.1.1 Understanding Parsing and How to Meet Parsing (Level A) This will be fixed by 31 March 2024.

Throughout the service, there is no heading on the pop-up that tells the user the session is about to timeout. This may be confusing for screen reader users as they may not understand that there is a pop-up and what it is for. This fails WCAG Success Criteria WCAG Reference: 1.3.1 Understanding Info and Relationships and How to Meet Info and Relationships (Level A). This will be fixed by 31 March 2024.

On the pages where you can report a change in your job and your partner's job, the ‘Change job’ labelling is the same. This will be confusing for people using screen readers as they will not be able to tell the difference. This fails WCAG Success Criteria 2.4.4 Understanding Link Purpose (In Context) and How to Meet Link Purpose (In Context) (Level A). WCAG Success Criteria 2.4.9 Understanding Link Purpose (Link Only) and How to Meet Link Purpose (Link Only) (Level AAA). This will be fixed by 31 March 2024.

On the page where users report how much they pay in child care each week, the hidden text is not being read out by screen readers due to a coding error. This is confusing for screen reader users as they are just given the option to edit without knowing what they’re editing. This fails WCAG Success Criteria 2.4.4 Understanding Link Purpose (In Context) and How to Meet Link Purpose (In Context) (Level A). WCAG Success Criteria 2.4.9 Understanding Link Purpose (Link Only) and How to Meet Link Purpose (Link Only) (Level AAA). This will be fixed by 31 March 2024.

On the ‘confirm your answers’ page that users see when they have added a child to the childcare list, the table is not coded correctly. This may be confusing for people using assistive technology. This fails WCAG Success Criteria WCAG Reference: 1.3.1 Understanding Info and Relationships and How to Meet Info and Relationships (Level A). This will be fixed by 31 March 2024.

On the page where users can look at their payment schedule, the summary is not in a list format for people using screen readers. They will not be able to understand the structure of the items on the list and how they relate to each other. This fails WCAG Success Criteria WCAG Reference: 1.3.1 Understanding Info and Relationships and How to Meet Info and Relationships (Level A). This will be fixed by 31 March 2024.

On the ‘started receiving a benefit’ page, the text box is not labelled correctly. This will be confusing for people using assistive technology. This fails WCAG Success Criteria WCAG Reference: Understanding Info and Relationships and How to Meet Info and Relationships (Level A) and 4.1.2 Understanding Name, Role, Value and How to Meet Name, Role, Value. This will be fixed by 31 March 2024.

On both of the pages where people can use the search function to find their address, there is a main heading. One lets the user search by postcode, the other by multiple address fields. A main heading on both is disorientating for the user. This fails WCAG Success Criteria 2.4.2 Understanding Page Titled and How to Meet Page Titled (Level A). This will be fixed by 31 March 2024.

On the page to select a statutory payment to be received, screen reader users do not get told that the content expands when they tick a box. This may be confusing and could prevent screen reader users from giving HMRC the information needed efficiently. This fails WCAG Success Criteria 4.1.2 Name, Role, Value and How to Meet Role, Name, Value (Level A). This will be fixed by 31 March 2024.

On the tax credit summary, screen users are not told that the menu button can expand and retract. This means they may miss information that they need. This fails WCAG Success Criteria 4.1.2 Name, Role, Value and How to Meet Role, Name, Value (Level A). This will be fixed by 31 March 2024.

On 2 pages, the group of checkboxes are not labelled meaningfully. This makes it confusing for the user. This fails WCAG Success Criteria 1.3.1 Understanding Info and Relationships and How to Meet Info and Relationships (Level A). This will be fixed by 31 March 2024.

On the Childcare provider page, multiple questions are asked at once making it confusing. This fails WCAG Success Criteria 1.3.1 Understanding Info and Relationships and How to Meet Info and Relationships (Level A). This will be fixed by 31 March 2024.

On the How much did you earn page, the ‘How much did you earn between 6 April 2020 and 28 January 2021?’ input field is not labelled descriptively which means screen reader users may be unable to determine its purpose. This fails WCAG Success Criteria 2.4.6 Headings and Labels (Level AA) This will be fixed by 31 March 2024.

On the Report change in child’s situation page, the ‘What is the change in their situation?’ text area contains a character limit; however, the number of characters remaining is not presented to screen reader users when populating the field. This means that some users may be unable to determine how many characters are remaining. This fails WCAG Success Criteria 4.1.3 Status Messages (Level AA) This will be fixed by 31 March 2024.

How we tested this service

The service was last tested on 18 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 21 September 2020. It was last updated on 19 October 2023.

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