Tax return enquiries

If the tax office makes enquiries into your tax return, it does not mean that they think there's something wrong with it.

However, if you do not give accurate information to the tax office, or are dishonest about your position you leave yourself vulnerable to enquiry and it may result in your tax affairs taking longer to sort out. In some situations (e.g. if you lie or deliberately withhold information) you could be liable to additional tax penalties.

Have a look at the HMRC leaflet IR160 - Enquiries under Self Assessment and at the LITRG website. These both give more information about how an enquiry is carried out and what you need to do if HMRC decide to enquire into your self assessment return. There is also a series of factsheets on the HMRC website which explain how they deal with various ‘compliance checks’ which is another name for enquiries’. Find out more >>