Tax Investigations
Don’t let HMRC burst your bubble – Protect yourself with our Tax Investigation Service
Whatever your business size or sector, you’ll get a highly professional and comprehensive range of services.
What is a tax investigation?
When HMRC make enquiries into your tax affairs
Many tax investigations are random. Unusual fluctuations, undisclosed accounts and random spending can also prompt an enquiry into individuals and companies.
The taxman has the power to inspect business documents and assets at your premises, ask for documents and information, make unannounced inspections and go back up to six years to investigate matters.
Disruptive, intrusive and expensive – when HMRC investigates it can drag on for a year or more, creating mounting costs and rocketing stress levels.
HMRC conducted 394,000 tax enquiries last year, showing just how many UK taxpayers it suspects of underpaying tax.
HMRC can target anyone who submits a tax return and their highly efficient ‘Connect’ software is accessing and trawling through financial information right now. The powerful system can trace even the smallest discrepancy in spending or earnings, prompting an investigation into individuals and businesses.
HMRC may have you in their sights…
You could be at risk of a Tax Investigation
What could HMRC discover about you and your business?
Could you be affected?
HMRC opened 102,000 investigations into taxpayers in the first quarter of 2021 – up 36% from 75,000 in the previous quarter.
Powerful new software can trace even the smallest discrepancy in spending or earnings, prompting an investigation into individuals and businesses. 83% of tax investigations are triggered by HMRC’s ‘Connect’ system.
Anyone who submits a tax return is a potential target
Call in the experts
If HMRC states its intention to investigate your tax payments don’t panic.
Call us – your dedicated accountant and best defence. We will translate the many complicated questions the taxman may pose, manage the entire conversation with the taxman, help you submit any required information and minimise the impact on your business or personal life.
However, the cost of supporting you throughout an investigation is not covered in our usual accountancy fees.
Our protection service
HMRC are closing in, find out how the Tax Investigation Service can help
Peace of mind providers
As your dedicated accountant, we’re here to help you manage any tax enquiries you might receive.
It is vital to be led by specialist advice and guidance when dealing with HMRC.
With the tax investigation fee protection service our fees will be paid for if HMRC investigate you, for a summary of the protection afforded by our service (including the indemnity limits) please refer to our ‘Service Summary’.
By subscribing to our service, you’ll also be dealing with a trusted and familiar face that knows your affairs – not an unknown accountant who may be appointed if you subscribe to an alternative scheme.
We believe that we know your business best and we want to be there for you when you need us most.
Cover for all…
Plus, for limited companies and partnerships, the tax investigation fee protection service provides inclusive cover for all relevant individuals.
So if your business subscribes to the service, all of your directors, partners and their spouses and company secretaries will also receive representation during an investigation into their personal tax affairs as long as we act for the individuals concerned.
Just spend a little now to potentially save a lot later and take the stress, time and professional costs out of a tax investigation.
Put aside a few minutes to subscribe now.
Our philosophy of developing client relationships based on trust and mutual respect will always provide the reassurance that someone is really on your side.
Our tax experts fully understand the complexities of the tax system and know what the investigators are looking for – they should… most of them have worked for HMRC. They also understand the stress and disruption a tax investigation can cause and work to make the process as straightforward as possible. Keeping our clients up to date on progress – advising clients at all times of both theirs and HMRC’s position during the investigation.
We support our clients at HMRC meetings either alongside the client or representing them on their behalf, drafting responses to HMRC and advising on the level of tax and penalties that may be charged.
At all times the best interests of the client are put first in deciding how an investigation should be dealt with. We offer tax investigation services ranging from a relatively simple Tax Return or PAYE Compliance check by a local tax office, up to a full Code of Practice 9 disclosure report required by a HMRC Fraud office where more serious tax irregularities have been suggested.
Our areas of specialism cover all areas of taxation and our experts are also experienced in dealing with PAYE enquiries, employment status disputes, IR35 enquiries, revocation of gross payment status for CIS, offshore disclosures, serious tax fraud enquiries, VAT Investigations and the preparation of submissions to appeals tribunals.
Please contact us if you need further advice, have any questions about our accounting services or would like a free consultation.