Plain-English HMRC Guides
Most people’s first contact with our team starts with the same question: “What does this letter actually mean?” This is where we answer that, in plain English, written by tax investigation specialists. Browse by situation below, or call us directly on 020 3827 1447 for confidential advice.
Code of Practice 9 (COP9)
HMRC suspects deliberate tax fraud. The CDF offers a route to settle without criminal prosecution, but only if handled correctly within 60 days.
VAT Investigations
From a routine compliance check to allegations of MTIC fraud, VAT enquiries can spiral fast. Understand what HMRC is looking for and how to protect your business.
Director Personal Liability
HMRC can pierce the corporate veil and pursue directors personally. Know your exposure, the defences available, and how to respond to a PLN.
Rental Property & Landlord Investigations
HMRC’s Let Property Campaign is ongoing. Undeclared rental income — from buy-to-let, holiday lets, Airbnb and overseas property — is one of HMRC’s highest-volume enquiry areas.
Company Insolvency & HMRC
HMRC is now a preferential creditor in insolvency (since December 2020). Directors face disqualification, Personal Liability Notices, and winding-up petitions. Know the options before it’s too late.
Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA)
When HMRC tax investigations cross into suspected criminality, POCA proceedings can follow — account freezing orders, civil recovery, and unexplained wealth orders. Understand what’s at stake.
IR35 & Employment Status
IR35 and off-payroll working rules catch thousands of contractors and their engagers each year. HMRC’s CEST tool is not definitive, understand what actually determines status and how to protect your position.
HMRC Discovery Assessments
HMRC can reopen tax years you thought were closed. Discovery assessments under s29 TMA 1970 have strict time limits and challengeable on “staleness” grounds — but only if you act quickly and correctly.
Schedule 36 Information Notices
HMRC has wide powers to demand documents and information. Schedule 36 FA 2008 notices carry serious penalties for non-compliance, but appeal rights exist and are often underused.
Offshore Assets & Worldwide Disclosure
HMRC receives automatic data on overseas accounts, investments and property from 100+ countries via CRS and FATCA. Undisclosed offshore income attracts penalties up to 200%. Understand your options before HMRC acts.
Self-Assessment Enquiries
A routine compliance check can become a full enquiry into your affairs. HMRC has 12 months from your filing date to open one, and far longer if they discover errors. Know your rights and obligations from day one.
HMRC Criminal Investigation
When HMRC decides to investigate criminally rather than civilly, everything changes. Arrest, dawn raids, interviews under caution and prosecution, the stakes are completely different from a civil enquiry. Specialist advice is essential from the first moment.
Data Protection & Information Rights Against HMRC
You have a legal right to find out what HMRC holds on you, and to request general information about how it operates. Two different routes do two very different jobs, know which one you need.
HMRC Penalties & Challenges
HMRC issues millions of penalties every year. Many are successfully challenged on reasonable excuse grounds, through HMRC review or at the Tax Tribunal. Understanding the process is the first step to overturning an unjust charge.
How HMRC Finds Out: Data & Intelligence
HMRC’s Connect system cross-references data from over 30 sources, Land Registry, offshore bank reporting, letting platforms, card processors and more, before it even opens an investigation. Understanding what HMRC can see is the first step to managing your risk.
Disguised Remuneration & the Loan Charge
Tens of thousands of contractors and employees used disguised remuneration schemes. The 2019 loan charge brought the entire outstanding loan balance into tax in one year. If you are still affected, the options are time-sensitive.
Free Tools
Try our free calculators, the same models we use to estimate exposure when clients first call us.
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