Hi {{firstname|everyone}},
There’s a specific kind of envelope that lands in your post and instantly puts your stomach in knots—an HMRC tax enquiry.
And it’s not always about wrongdoing. More often than not, it’s about random checks, misinterpretations, or just bad luck.
HMRC opened over 300,000 tax investigations last year, targeting small businesses across the board. Dentists, especially those with multiple income sources—practice income, NHS/private split, associateships, property—are firmly in their sights.
Why a Clean Set of Books Isn’t Always Enough
You can have the cleanest books, a reliable accountant, and still find yourself entangled in a lengthy enquiry.
That’s the thing—we assume that if we’re not doing anything wrong, we’ll be fine. But investigations aren’t about guilt. They’re about compliance. And responding properly can take weeks, sometimes months.
Your accountant’s time, your time, and legal representation if it escalates—none of that comes cheap.
And here’s the kicker: even if you’ve done nothing wrong, the average cost of defending a tax investigation is over £5,000.
Disruption Is the Real Cost
I’ve seen it happen time and again: dentists running busy, honest clinics, suddenly blindsided by an HMRC investigation.
Beyond the professional fees, there’s disruption. You can’t focus on growth when you're being pulled into calls, document submissions, or explanation letters.
Ultimately, practices defer expansion plans, pause recruitment, even halt acquisitions—all because HMRC opened a routine check. It becomes an unnecessary distraction.
And if you’re not protected, it’s a costly one too.
Why a Tax Investigation Cover?
Over the years, we’ve seen too many practices get caught out—not because they’ve done anything wrong, but because they didn’t expect the hassle and cost of a tax enquiry.
Even the most routine investigation can spiral into months of back-and-forth with HMRC. Every letter needs a response. Every number needs backing. And if your accountant is billing hourly, the costs rack up fast. That’s not even counting the stress and time lost in the process.
This is why we built Tax Investigation Cover into our service offering. Because risk management isn’t just about big-picture strategy—it’s about covering the small but costly disruptions that can hit you out of nowhere.
A Cover That Covers All That Really Matters
Our Tax Investigation Cover is simple. If your clinic faces an enquiry, we’ll deal with HMRC on your behalf. The cover pays for our time, letting us focus on sorting it for you, without the stress of mounting costs.
It’s peace of mind - rolled out to the practices we support. If you haven’t already looked at this, it’s time you did.
Book a call with our team and get covered before that envelope arrives:
Also, if you’re looking to gain more context into the whole tax side of things, make sure to register for my Making Tax Digital for Dentists Webinar that takes place on 6th May, 2025, 7PM UK Time.
Until next time,
Arun