Tax authorities should still focus on being available on the telephone

Publiceret 16-12-2025

In the time around the release of the tax assessment notices in the spring of 2025, the Danish Tax Agency answered a little over 430,000 calls, while about 1.7 million calls were cancelled without getting through or in a queue. And in the busiest week – week 13, when the tax assessment notices were released – the Tax Agency answered about 48,000 calls, while about 412,000 calls were cancelled.

This information appears in connection with a new investigation from the Parliamentary Ombudsman of the Tax Agency’s telephone service during the period around the release of the tax assessment notices in 2025. The investigation also includes the Danish Property Assessment Agency’s and the Danish Debt Collection Agency’s telephone service between 1 March and 1 July 2025. Here, about 12,000 calls to the Property Assessment Agency were cancelled, while just under 106,000 calls to the Debt Collection Agency were cancelled.

The many cancelled telephone calls cause the Ombudsman to state that the Agencies should still focus on arranging matters so as to be available for telephone calls – not least in periods of peak demand when many citizens are in need of guidance.

‘Even though the Agencies had prepared, there have been very many cancelled telephone calls in the period around the release of the tax assessment notices and thereby citizens who have telephoned the Agencies without being able to get through. The Agencies should generally focus on being available on the telephone – not least out of consideration for those citizens who may find it difficult to use the digital guidance solutions’, says Parliamentary Ombudsman Christian Britten Lundblad.

Periods of peak demand and focus on non-digital citizens

The Ombudsman appreciates that it is not always possible in practice to avoid calls being cancelled in periods of a very considerable peak demand with particularly many telephone calls to the Danish Customs and Tax Administration.

He also agrees that in those situations the Agencies must view guidance over the telephone in conjunction with other guidance initiatives in order to meet the need for information of as many citizens as possible in the best way possible. These can be for instance digital guidance solutions such as livechat or chatbot.

However, the Ombudsman stresses that it is important that the Agencies have a general focus on their telephone service and pay particular attention to citizens who may have difficulties in using the Agencies’ digital solutions. He has therefore asked the Tax Agency to inform him whether the Agency is working on new initiatives to ensure that non-digital citizens receive the guidance they need.

Read the Ombudsman’s statement (in Danish only).

Read the Ombudsman’s consultation letter to the Danish Tax Agency on access to guidance for non-digital citizens (in Danish only).

Further information:

Director of International Relations Klavs Kinnerup Hede, kkh@ombudsmanden.dk

Facts

The Danish Tax Agency

Between 1 March and 15 May 2025, the Tax Agency answered a little more than 430,000 calls in total, while over 1.7 million calls were cancelled without getting through or in a queue. The main reason for the calls being cancelled was, according to the Agency, that the average waiting time exceeded the Agency’s waiting time threshold which is set at 12 minutes.

Based on a subsequent evaluation of the tax assessment notice period, the Agency has stated that calls from about 279,000 unique telephone numbers were cancelled because of the waiting time threshold. Of these, calls from about 135,000 telephone numbers were answered at a later time in the peak demand period, while about 145,000 telephone numbers did not receive telephone guidance during the period.

The Danish Property Assessment Agency

Between 1 March and 1 July 2025, the Property Assessment Agency answered a little under 108,000 calls, while a little over 12,000 calls were cancelled or cut off without getting through or in a queue. In the busiest week (week 15, in April 2025) the Agency answered a little over 12,000 calls, while about 2,000 calls were cancelled or cut off.

The Danish Debt Collection Agency

Between 1 March and 1 July 2025, there were about 185,000 calls in a queue to the Debt Collection Agency. Of these, the Agency answered just under 135,000 calls, while just under 50,000 citizens in the telephone queue chose to hang up. Just under 106,000 calls were cancelled. In the busiest week (week 17), there were just under 12,000 calls in a telephone queue and just under 30,000 calls were cancelled.