What HMRC is likely to ask
There’s a pretty standard set of questions that the inspector will ask at interview. These are mostly designed to undermine the records you’ve kept and so allow them to make a demand for tax on missing income/profits or over-claimed expenses. So how should you prepare for such an interview?
Guidelines
If you attend an interview, the inspector should start by explaining that they will ask questions and take notes on your answers. It’s best to answer all questions truthfully but not to elaborate. If the inspector wants the detail they can ask. Use our guide to What HMRC is Likely to Ask to help prepare for your interview.
Related Topics
-
Tax relief for lending to your company
You can usually claim tax relief for money you borrow personally to lend to your company. It sounds straightforward but there are in fact a number of restrictions to trip you up. How do you secure the tax relief?
-
Who can't yet sign up for MTD IT?
Making Tax Digital for Income Tax (MTD IT) becomes mandatory from April 2026 for sole traders and landlords with qualifying income over £50,000. However, HMRC’s current guidance makes clear that not everyone can sign up yet. If you are preparing early, are you actually eligible?
-
Pay self-assessment tax
This website uses both its own and third-party cookies to analyze our services and navigation on our website in order to improve its contents (analytical purposes: measure visits and sources of web traffic). The legal basis is the consent of the user, except in the case of basic cookies, which are essential to navigate this website.