Our aim? To help you secure the best available outcome and reduce your stress.
Tax investigations advice
The tax enquiry landscape is changing
Helping you reach an agreeable resolution with HMRC
HMRC are moving away from resource intensive formal enquiries, in favour of their use of one too many or nudge letter approaches to clients.
They now hold a vast amount of data gathered through their existing links with public bodies, banks and other financial institutions in the UK. Through the Common Reporting Standard, HMRC now have access to information held by similar public bodies, banks and financial institutions located abroad.
HMRC are also streamlining their enquiry processes to volume up their approach by creating teams focusing on a specific relief, then launching numerous enquiries into related claims. We have seen this with R&D reliefs, in particular.
With this change of approach comes an increasing admin burden for the client subject to the enquiry. We are ready to meet that challenge and see this an opportunity to seize the initiative and drive the enquiry forward, ensuring that we achieve the best outcomes for our clients.
Understanding HMRC’s enquiry methods, we’ll proactively manage the process, relieving you of the stress so you can focus on your daily business tasks.
Our team is ready to support enquiries for all, including individuals, partnerships, and companies, working across all HMRC divisions such as ISBC, Counter-Avoidance, and the Fraud Investigation Service.
Understanding HMRC’s enquiry methods
We’ll proactively manage the process, relieving you of the stress so you can focus on your daily business tasks.
Our team is ready to support enquiries for all, including individuals, partnerships, and companies, working across all HMRC divisions such as ISBC, Counter-Avoidance, and the Fraud Investigation Service.
Tax investigations insurance
For existing PKF Francis Clark clients, there is the opportunity to take advantage of our tax investigation insurance offer so that your professional costs associated with an HMRC enquiry are covered.
We have partnered with Croner Taxwise to provide our clients with the option to take out tax investigation insurance cover.
With tax investigations, it is not just the worry and stress of dealing with HMRC officers. It’s also the lost time and associated costs. These costs can mount up as a tax investigation is not covered by your usual accountancy fees.
The benefits of taking out tax investigation insurance cover:
Support from people you trust
You will still be working with PKF Francis Clark who will support you. We understand how investigations work to secure the best available outcomes for you
Peace of mind
Knowing that professional fees of up to £100,000 are covered by your Croner Taxwise insurance policy
What our clients say
“I am immensely grateful for your support through a treacherous and challenging journey. Icould not have achieved this without your support, advice and guidance and I am very grateful for what you have managed to settle for me.
I am looking forward now and could not have imagined this when this whole saga began. I feel I have my life back. ”
Counter avoidance directorate enquiry
“When you find yourself in this situation it is a real comfort to have somebody who believes in you and fighting your corner.
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Mid-sized business compliance directorate enquiry
Here to help
Browse our tax disputes and investigations services:
When HMRC do not deliver an acceptable level of customer service, this costs you time and money. We offer a bespoke complaints service to ensure your complaint stands the best chance of being upheld. Where appropriate we will also look to secure compensation for our clients.
Where you have reached an impasse with HMRC, ahead of taking your appeal to a tax tribunal, consider entering into a alternative dispute resolution. Our team’s extensive ADR experience can support you through this mediation process. If not resolved, you’ll exit the process with a clear understanding of the issue. This can assist with preparing for any tribunal hearing that might follow.
Tax is complex and things can get missed from tax returns. If this happens, then it is best to approach HMRC before they approach you. With the support of our disclosure specialists, your voluntary disclosure will contain only the tax periods HMRC are entitled to recover. We will aim to secure the lowest penalty levels available.
HMRC nudge letters can cover a variety of tax issues. These include; let property, business asset disposal relief, company dividends and world-wide offshore income and gains. HMRC has obtained information to suggest your tax return is incorrect and are expecting a disclosure to follow. The disclosure process is complex, especially for offshore matters. It is important you provide HMRC with only the years they are entitled to recover and to ensure the penalty levels correct. We have experience registering with HMRC digital disclosure service (DDS) and making comprehensive disclosures.
Going it alone on a full-blown tax investigation can be stressful, time consuming and costly. With a team of mainly ex-HMRC inspectors, we are confident that our advice will help you achieve an early resolution with the best outcome available.
Increasingly, HMRC are assessing first and asking questions later. The process to resolve the situation is time consuming, requiring specialist skills and contacts at HMRC, often driving cases toward ADR or even a tax tribunal. HMRC are in receipt of information from the likes of Airbnb, other online traders, plus multiple other sources. They focus on areas where they believe VAT thresholds have been breached and businesses have failed to register for VAT. This can lead to unwarranted assessments for VAT and an accompanying array of penalties. Our team of ex-HMRC VAT officers are well placed to support you with meeting these challenges from HMRC and securing the best possible outcomes.
Where enquiries have arisen from historic tax avoidance participation, it is important you turn to an expert to focus on HMRC’s enquiry procedures and protocols including the available time frames and discovery provisions. Members of our team have worked within HMRC’s counter-avoidance directorate and know how the unit operates. Our experience includes securing the best available settlement terms for our clients. We have also negotiated extended time to pay arrangements.
Where HMRC consider that the tax at risk is large (COP8) or where tax has been underpaid as a result of deliberate omissions or serious fraud (COP9), they will launch an enquiry from their fraud investigation service (FIS). These enquiries demand careful handling. The impacts of any failure to comply can be more than simply an uplift to the penalty position. It could mean a full-blown criminal investigation. We have a successful track record of reaching reasonable settlement outcomes with HMRC FIS officers. During any enquiry launched under COP8 or COP9, you could be expected to meet with two or more HMRC investigators for a detailed interview. Therefore, it is essential you have the support from someone with experience on your side.
Meet our experts
Our aim?
To help you secure the best available outcome and reduce your stress