Accessibility statement for HMRC Community Forums

This accessibility statement applies to HMRC Community Forums service, available at http://community.hmrc.gov.uk/

The HMRC Community Forums is a place for tax agents and customers to ask questions about tax and benefits.

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

  • change colours, contrast levels and fonts using browser or device settings
  • zoom in up to 400% without the text spilling off the screen
  • navigate most of the website using a keyboard or speech recognition software
  • listen to most of the website 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 website is

We know some parts of this website are not fully accessible:

  • some pages have more than one landmark, including the home page
  • tab components function as standard links and take people to a different page
  • some error links do not work correctly
  • some pages do not have titles that accurately describe the information on the page
  • some information is not marked correctly within a list or table meaning people may find it difficult to relate content together
  • some pages do not have a logical focus order and may affect keyboard-only users
  • there are tables that make it difficult for a screen reader user to understand the purpose of the table before interacting with it
  • search results links rely on colour without any other distinguishable cue
  • page structure is not always clear for screen reader users when an error message is presented
  • headings and labels are not always descriptive
  • table headers may not always be visible when browsing on a mobile device
  • some status messages are not announced to screen reader users
  • autocomplete is not available in parts of the registration journey
  • the placeholder text in the search can be truncated
  • some custom focus indicators are not easy to distinguish by people with vision impairments

Feedback and contact information

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.

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 contact us.

Enforcement procedure

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.

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.

Compliance status

The website has been tested against the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines WCAG 2.1 AA standard.

This website 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

  • Across the website there are two main landmarks on pages. This doesn’t meet WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.3.1 (info and relationships). We plan to fix this issue by December 2024.
  • Tab components do not function as tab components. This doesn’t meet 4.1.2 Name, Role, Value). We plan to fix this issue by December 2024.
  • The subscribed threads page is missing a H1. This doesn’t meet WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.3.1 (info and relationships). We plan to fix this issue by December 2024.
  • Error links on the account login page do not function correctly. This doesn’t meet WCAG 2.1 success criterion 2.4.1 (bypass blocks). We plan to fix this issue by December 2024.
  • Some page titles are non-descriptive. This doesn’t meet WCAG 2.1 success criterion 2.4.2 (page titled). We plan to fix this issue by December 2024.
  • Lists have not been marked up correctly for validation purposes. This doesn’t meet WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.3.1 (info and relationships). We plan to fix this issue by December 2024.
  • The forgot password page focus order becomes illogical when the page has loaded. This doesn’t meet WCAG 2.1 success criterion 2.4.3 (focus order). We plan to fix this issue by December 2024.
  • Incorrect use of ‘tabindex’ is present. This doesn’t meet WCAG 2.1 success criterion 2.4.3 (focus order). We plan to fix this issue by December 2024.
  • A field set is present with no associating legend. This doesn’t meet WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.3.1 (info and relationships) and 3.3.2 (labels or instructions). We plan to fix this issue by December 2024.
  • Some tables have no caption or a descriptive heading. This doesn’t meet WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.3.1 (info and relationships). We plan to fix this issue by December 2024.
  • The subscribed threads page table has scope attributed to a table data cell. This doesn’t meet WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.3.1 (info and relationships). We plan to fix this issue by December 2024.
  • There are custom elements on some pages that do not make clear how a user should interact with them. This doesn’t meet WCAG 2.1 success criterion 4.1.2 (name, role, value). We plan to fix this issue by December 2024.
  • When sorting options, the select element initiated a change of context. This doesn’t meet WCAG 2.1 success criterion 3.2.2 (on input). We plan to fix this issue by December 2024.
  • Some labels are positioned below the element. This doesn’t meet WCAG 2.1 success criterion 3.3.2 (labels or instructions). We plan to fix this issue by December 2024.
  • On the search results page, there is no distinguishable cue to inform users that certain elements are selectable. This doesn’t meet WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.4.1 (use of colour). We plan to fix this issue by December 2024.
  • Within the account menu element, the aria menu roles are problematic for screen reader users. This doesn’t meet WCAG 2.1 success criterion 4.1.2 (name, role, value). We plan to fix this issue by December 2024.
  • Visual headings are not programmatically determined. This doesn’t meet WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.3.1 (info and relationships). We plan to fix this issue by December 2024.
  • The account dropdown menu’s visual label is not contained within the accessible name. This doesn’t meet WCAG 2.1 success criterion 2.5.3 (label in name). We plan to fix this issue by December 2024.
  • Some pages have non-descriptive headings and labels. This doesn’t meet WCAG 2.1 success criterion 2.4.6 (headings and labels). We plan to fix this issue by December 2024.
  • Some table headings do not reflow when using a mobile device. This doesn’t meet WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.4.10 (reflow). We plan to fix this issue by December 2024.
  • Status messages are not always announced to screen reader users. This doesn’t meet WCAG 2.1 success criterion 4.1.3 (status message). We plan to fix this issue by December 2024.
  • Autocomplete attributes in the registration journey have not been used. This doesn’t meet WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.3.5 (identify input purpose). We plan to fix this issue by December 2024.
  • The placeholder text in the search input field is truncated when the text spacing technique is used. This doesn’t meet WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.4.12 (text spacing). We plan to fix this issue by December 2024.
  • The search button has CSS content property with unfamiliar characters. This doesn’t meet WCAG 2.1 success criterion 3.2.4 (consistent identification). We plan to fix this issue by December 2024.
  • Some custom focus indicators have insufficient colour contrast. This doesn’t meet WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.4.11 (non-text contrast). We plan to fix this issue by December 2024.

Preparation of this accessibility statement

This statement was prepared on 16 September 2019. It was last reviewed on 5 September 2024.

This website was last tested on 7 March 2023 against the WCAG 2.1 AA standard.

The test was carried out by the Digital Accessibility Centre. The full service was tested by HMRC and included disabled users.