HMRC shuts down repayment agent
HMRC has previously announced an increase in protective measures for individuals dealing with so-called “repayment agents”. Now, one such agent has been ordered to cease trading. What’s the full story, and what do you need to do if you have a claim in progress?
Repayment agent ads have become a common sight in recent years, particularly on social media. You’ll recognise them by their style, usually along the lines of “Do you wear a uniform to work? You could be owed £1,000s from HMRC…” or similar. While many such agents are genuine, the industry has come in for criticism due to practices that are, at best, questionable, e.g. requiring refunds to be made directly to the agent’s account.
More seriously, HMRC is concerned that some of these “firms” are really just a front for money laundering. All tax agents (and other professionals, including accountants and solicitors) must comply with anti-money laundering regulations, including being registered with a supervisory authority. HMRC has found one agent, Tax Credits Limited, to have seriously breached these requirements and ordered the company to cease trading as a repayment agent. It's estimated that around 11,000 individuals had commenced refund claims via the company. HMRC will now write to these individuals to update them. The refunds will be automatically made by HMRC, so you don’t need to do anything if you are one of those affected.
Related News
-
HMRC loses employment status case involving football referees
HMRC has lost another employment status case, this time involving football referees engaged by Professional Game Match Officials Ltd (PGMOL). The tribunal rejected HMRC’s argument that the referees should be treated as employees for tax purposes. Why does the decision matter?
-
Investing: loans vs shares
You have the opportunity to invest in a promising start-up company. You can either purchase shares or lend it the money. What are the potential tax consequences you need to factor in when making your decision?
-
Where can you get help with MTD quarterly updates?
As Making Tax Digital for Income Tax (MTD IT) filing obligations begin for some taxpayers, questions are continuing to arise around quarterly updates and how problems should be resolved. If issues occur, where should you go for help?
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.