The first reply shapes everything that follows.
What you send HMRC first determines what it asks for next, how long the enquiry runs, and where penalties land. Before you reply or send a single document, have the letter read by someone who handles them.
We reply on WhatsApp within one working hour with what the letter actually is and what the deadline means. Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm.
- Fixed fees from
- £1,200 + VAT
- Identifying your letter
- No charge
- Billing
- Defined stages, never hourly
- Drafted by
- A chartered certified accountant
Tell us what has arrived
We reply by email. No attachments, nothing sensitive yet.
Tax investigation specialists: what we handle
From a routine compliance check through to the most serious civil route HMRC operates, and the disclosures people make before HMRC writes at all.
HMRC tax investigations
How HMRC investigations work, by tax and by seriousness, and where to start.
02Compliance checks
Section 9A enquiries, company return enquiries and Schedule 36 notices.
03VAT investigations
VAT compliance checks, inspections and visits, assessments and appeals.
04PAYE and employer compliance
Employer compliance reviews, employment status, IR35 and the minimum wage.
05COP9 and the CDF
Where HMRC suspects tax fraud. Strict deadlines, serious consequences.
06COP8 investigations
Specialist investigations where fraud is not alleged but the stakes are high.
07Voluntary disclosures
Telling HMRC about underpaid tax from past years, through the Digital Disclosure Service.
08Worldwide Disclosure Facility
Undeclared offshore income, gains and assets, and the offshore penalty regime.
09Let Property Campaign
Undeclared rental income from UK or overseas property, disclosed on defined terms.
10Discovery assessments
Assessments raised outside the normal enquiry window, and whether they stand.
11Penalties and appeals
Penalty position, suspension, reductions for disclosure, and appeals.
12UK expats in the UAE
UK returns, the non-resident landlord scheme, 60-day CGT and residence reviews.
Three things that make an enquiry worse
Sending more than was asked for
Volunteering extra years or extra records is how a narrow check becomes a wide one. Being helpful does not close an enquiry faster.
Misreading the letter
A nudge letter and a formal enquiry notice can look similar on the page. They are not the same thing and they do not get the same reply.
Phoning HMRC unprepared
That call is recorded and noted on the file, and it cannot be taken back once it has happened.
Week one is when the options are widest
The 30 days on a compliance check letter start the day it is dated, not the day it was opened. Week one is when you can still choose: what to disclose, what to ask HMRC to clarify, whether to request more time before it is needed rather than after.
By week four the same decisions are being made in a hurry, and hurried replies are the ones that widen enquiries.
One person holding the whole board
A corporation tax enquiry rarely stays about corporation tax. Once HMRC opens a check on a company return, the questions travel — director’s accounts, dividends drawn against profits, PAYE treatment, VAT.
Each of those normally sits with a different adviser, or with nobody. Directors need one person answering the whole board, not one square at a time.
Here, that person is Abu Bakar Khalid FCCA, CFA, the practice’s principal.
You are told the fee before anything starts
There is no single price for an HMRC matter, because a nudge letter and a multi-year investigation are not the same piece of work. What we commit to is telling you the number in advance.
- We read the letter and confirm what it is — free, before any engagement
- We scope the stages the matter needs, and say what sits outside them
- We quote a fixed fee in writing, and you decide with the number in front of you
- If HMRC widens the enquiry, we agree a revised fee before doing the work
Guides
Plain explanations of how HMRC's rules work in practice, whether or not a letter has arrived.
HMRC, cryptoassets and the letters that follow
How HMRC taxes cryptoassets, why crypto exchanges now report users to HMRC, what a crypto nudge letter means, and how to put past crypto gains right.
HMRC's "name and shame" list of deliberate tax defaulters
Who goes on HMRC's 2026 name and shame list of deliberate tax defaulters: the new £50,000 threshold, what is published, for how long, and the full disclosure rule.
HMRC penalties for careless and deliberate errors
How HMRC penalties for careless and deliberate errors work in 2026-27: the ranges, the reduction for disclosure, offshore rates, suspension and appeals.
Multiple dwellings relief and HMRC enquiries
How SDLT multiple dwellings relief worked, what counted as a dwelling, its abolition from 1 June 2024, and how HMRC checks past MDR claims and refunds.
The statutory residence test (SRT) explained
How the statutory residence test decides UK tax residence: the automatic tests, UK ties, day counting, split-year treatment and the records HMRC may ask for.
Accelerated payment notices and the loan charge
HMRC accelerated payment notices and follower notices, the loan charge on disguised remuneration, and the settlement scheme that followed the 2025 review.
Common questions
How long do I have to respond to an HMRC letter?
Most compliance check letters give 30 days, running from the date on the letter rather than the day you opened it. Other correspondence carries different deadlines, and some — such as a COP9 offer — are strict. Identifying the letter is how you find out which clock is running.
What is the difference between a nudge letter and a formal enquiry?
A "one to many" nudge letter invites you to review your position and is not a formal enquiry, so no statutory enquiry period has begun. A Section 9A notice formally opens an enquiry into a Self Assessment return. They can look similar and call for completely different responses.
Should I telephone HMRC before taking advice?
A call to HMRC is recorded and noted on the file and cannot be withdrawn. It is generally better to establish what the letter is, and what is actually being asked, before any conversation takes place.
Can you act if my own accountant prepared the return being checked?
Yes, and it is common. There can be an advantage in the correspondence being drafted by someone who was not involved in preparing the return under review. Your existing accountant can continue with compliance work throughout.
What does it cost?
Representation is quoted as a fixed fee against defined stages, starting from £1,200 + VAT. Identifying the letter and confirming your deadline is done before any engagement and at no cost.
If a letter has arrived, have it identified first
Send a photo of page one. We will tell you what it is, what the deadline means, and what a fixed fee would look like — before you commit to anything.
Please do not send bank statements, identity documents or your UTR at this stage. We only need to see the letter.