HMRC tax enquiries

Every year, HMRC investigates hundreds of thousands of individuals and businesses in the UK. Enquiries may range from a simple check of an item on a tax return to a full blown investigation of a person or business.

Increasingly, enquiries are becoming automated via the use by HMRC of its ‘CONNECT’ software, which trawls potentially billions of items of data from many sources and matching it against information provided on a tax return. This may include information about property, bank accounts (in the UK and overseas), cars, social media and a person’s lifestyle.

Where discrepancies are identified, an investigation is likely to follow. HMRC claims to have raised over £3bn of additional tax through the use of ‘CONNECT’ with very high strike rates.

Our Tax Investigations & Disputes team has many years’ experience of handling tax enquiries of many different shapes and sizes, and where appropriate, negotiating pragmatic settlements with HMRC.

For more information, please contact our specialist Tax Investigations & Disputes team.