Expert Support When HMRC Comes Calling
An HMRC investigation is stressful, time-consuming and easy to make worse by responding wrongly. What you say, what you send, and how early you get expert help all affect the outcome including how much you end up paying in tax, interest and penalties.
As an experienced HMRC investigation accountant, we step in and deal with HMRC on your behalf. We handle the correspondence, prepare your documentation, present your case, and work to protect your position from the first letter to final resolution.
Types of HMRC Enquiries
Not all HMRC checks are the same. Knowing which one you face shapes the right response:
- Aspect enquiry HMRC questions one specific part of your return, such as a single expense or entry. Usually narrower and shorter (often three to six months).
- Full enquiry HMRC reviews your entire return and records, often across several years. Wider in scope and can take a year or more.
- Random check selected without any specific suspicion; can happen to anyone.
- Code of Practice 8 (COP8) for complex tax-avoidance arrangements.
- Code of Practice 9 (COP9) where HMRC suspects deliberate, serious fraud, offering the Contractual Disclosure Facility. These are serious; specialist representation is essential.
Common Triggers
While some checks are random, most are prompted by something. Common triggers include:
- Inconsistencies or errors in your return or accounts.
- Large or unusual claims expenses, travel or capital allowances out of step with your income.
- Year-on-year swings in income or profit that look unexplained.
- Late or frequently amended returns.
- Undeclared income HMRC identifies from third-party data (banks, property sales, platforms).
- Tip-offs through HMRC’s fraud reporting system.
- Higher-risk profiles cash businesses, complex affairs, overseas income, multiple income sources.
Good record-keeping and accurate filing exactly what our other MTD services deliver are the best way to reduce your risk in the first place.
How We Represent You
- Handle all HMRC correspondence so you are not caught out by what you say or send.
- Review the enquiry to understand its scope, the powers being used and what HMRC is really after.
- Prepare your documentation gathering, organising and presenting your records properly.
- Respond strategically cooperating fully while not volunteering irrelevant information that could widen the enquiry.
- Negotiate with HMRC on the tax position, penalties and any settlement.
- Manage appeals where a decision should be challenged.
The Investigation Process
Most investigations follow a similar path. Here is what to expect, and where we take the weight:
Opening letter
HMRC writes setting out the type of enquiry and what it wants. Do not ignore it but do not rush a reply either. Send it to us first
Information requests
HMRC asks for records and explanations (sometimes using formal Schedule 36 powers). We manage exactly what is provided and when
Review and meetings
HMRC analyses the information; there may be questions or a meeting, which we attend with or for you
Proposed outcome
HMRC sets out any additional tax, interest and penalties. We check and challenge this
Resolution
The enquiry closes by agreement, a decision notice or a contract settlement. You have the right to appeal within 30 days of a decision
Protecting Your Position
The outcome of an investigation is not fixed how it is handled makes a real difference. We work to protect you by:
- Getting the behaviour category right penalties scale with behaviour: up to 30% for careless errors, up to 70% for deliberate, and up to 100% where deliberate and concealed. Arguing the correct category can dramatically cut a penalty.
- Maximising disclosure reductions cooperation and proper disclosure reduce penalties; we make sure you get full credit.
- Limiting the scope keeping the enquiry to what it should cover, not letting it expand unnecessarily.
- Watching the time limits HMRC can normally go back 4 years for innocent errors, 6 for careless behaviour and up to 20 for deliberate conduct; we hold them to the correct limits.
- Managing interest and settlement including how and when any amount is paid.
Why Choose Us
- Experienced with HMRC. We deal with enquiries and investigations regularly and know how HMRC works.
- Qualified and HMRC-registered. HMRC-registered tax agents authorised to act for you, with professional indemnity insurance.
- Calm, clear guidance. We explain what is happening in plain English and take the pressure off you.
- UK-wide service. Based in Ilford, Greater London, representing clients across the UK.
For COP8, COP9 or suspected fraud, specialist or legal representation is essential we can act alongside the right specialists where a case calls for it. HMRC-registered tax agents authorised to act on your behalf and provide Ongoing Tax Support when you need continuous assistance.
Our Client's success story
A sole trader in Ilford received an aspect enquiry questioning a year of unusually high expenses. Worried, he had almost replied directly to HMRC with a long, defensive letter which could have widened the enquiry.
He came to us first. We reviewed the records, found the expenses were legitimate and well-documented, and responded to HMRC with exactly what was needed and nothing more. The enquiry closed within a few months with no additional tax due. His comment: “I’d have made it ten times worse on my own.”
Pricing
Software setup is included within our flat monthly service fee, agreed up front based on your needs. There is no separate setup charge for ongoing clients. If you only need a one-off setup, we will quote you a fixed price at your free consultation.
Get Expert Help Today
An HMRC investigation does not have to be a nightmare. With the right representation from the start, you protect your position, limit the penalties, and get your time and peace of mind back. The earlier you involve us, the more we can do.
Frequently asked questions
Do not ignore it, and do not reply in detail on your own. Note any deadline in the letter and send it to a qualified adviser first. What you say early on can affect the scope of the enquiry and the penalties, so getting expert input before you respond is the single most important step.
It depends on behaviour. HMRC can normally go back 4 years for innocent errors where reasonable care was taken, 6 years for careless behaviour, and up to 20 years for deliberate conduct or failure to notify. These periods run from the end of the relevant tax year.
Penalties are based on behaviour: up to 30% of the tax for careless errors, up to 70% for deliberate, and up to 100% where deliberate and concealed. They can be reduced for disclosure and cooperation, which is one area where good representation makes a real difference.
For routine checks it is not strictly required, but the penalty mitigation and reduced stress almost always outweigh the cost. For COP8, COP9 or any suspected fraud, specialist representation is effectively essential.
Most enquiries are about recovering tax, interest and penalties, not prosecution. Criminal proceedings are rare and reserved for serious deliberate fraud. Handling an enquiry correctly and cooperating helps keep matters civil.
Yes. We are based in Ilford, Greater London, and represent clients in HMRC enquiries across the whole UK.
