Latest Tax Enquiry and Investigation Service

The HMRC “Nudge Unit”, previously called the Behavioural Insights Team, was a department within the Cabinet Office that was tasked with improving government services and saving money by employing a blend of behavioural economics and psychology.  An example of this in practice is the so-called “nudge” letters (referred to by HMRC as ‘one-to-many’ letters) HMRC…

From January 2024 digital platforms like eBay, Vinted, Etsy and Airbnb will have to collect seller data and send onto HMRC.   Do you sell items on these digital platforms? If you are one of the many who sell on digital platforms such as eBay, Vinted, Airbnb and Etsy then be warned that from 1…

Airbnb has been forced to share users’ income details with HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) according to widespread reports in the press. It is part of a crackdown on holiday let owners who fail to declare their incomes and to help HMRC identify people who owe tax. If you have not already declared any rental…

What exactly is cryptocurrency? Cryptocurrency (crypto) is a form of decentralised digital currency.  Although there is no central issuing and regulating authority like with traditional currencies like GBP or USD, there are still taxes on crypto in the UK. Crypto assets like Bitcoin and Ethereum have always been popular with investors and tech enthusiasts, but…

With the UK tax system as complicated as ever, there are certain rules which we come across that can very easily give a particularly unexpected (and unpleasant) consequence. Income Tax When either parent has taxable earnings over £50k (after personal pension contributions), entitlement to child benefit is reduced. As higher rate income tax starts at…

As HMRC have experienced an increase in the number of SME Research & Development (R&D) tax relief claims being made by companies, so have they witnessed a number of fraudulent claims being made. To tackle this abuse, HMRC have established a tax credit compliance team to deal with R&D enquiries.   If a company receives…

As I am sure we are all aware HMRC are able to open investigations into the accuracy of tax returns, VAT returns, payroll, etc via targeted, or random, tax enquiries. With an ever increasing budget deficit I fully expect HMRC to raise more enquiries this year to increase tax revenues. You will want to be…

It has recently been reported that the tax debt owing to HMRC as at 30 September 2022 stands at £46.9 million, and they are taking positive action to recover this from both individuals and business.   The profession has certainly seen a much more proactive approach from HMRC, and given the financial pressures on all,…

HMRC have the right to enquire into any type of tax return, with common areas of investigation being self-assessment tax returns, corporation tax returns, PAYE submissions, and VAT returns.   Some enquires are carried out at random, but the majority are selected by way of risk assessment. HMRC have a sophisticated risk assessment computer system,…

We can assist in this process, by reviewing your current contractual terms and working practices, to assess and minimise IR35 tax risk. HMRC provide an online tool to assess your employment status: Employment Status Tool The following badges of trade are some of the factors HM Revenue & Customs would use in assessing whether income…