Shutting down Ltd Company triggering HMRC Investigation?

[northernladuk]

However, the number of enquiries are tiny relative to the number of companies, and I've seen no evidence of closures triggering enquiries.

We've never seen HMRC target every contractor at a large client before either.

[CompoundOverload]

We've never seen HMRC target every contractor at a large client before either.

They're certainly puffing out their chests

[BrilloPad]

They're certainly puffing out their chests

Buoyed by their success against DTA and LC.

[MoroccanMole]

It was the GSK incident that panicked me into accelerating the closure.

The last client I worked for is as I understand from freelancers still there that they are rewriting contracts at the next renewal to place everybody PAYE Umbrella.

Not sure if they intend to use the CEST Tool or simply rewrite the contact to say the role is PAYE. Take it or leave it. I don't think there is any obligation on them to use the tool if they want to work their contracts that way.

[Hobosapien]

It was the GSK incident that panicked me into accelerating the closure.

The last client I worked for is as I understand from freelancers still there that they are rewriting contracts at the next renewal to place everybody PAYE Umbrella.

Not sure if they intend to use the CEST Tool or simply rewrite the contact to say the role is PAYE. Take it or leave it. I don't think there is any obligation on them to use the tool if they want to work their contracts that way.

If you've no real use for the Ltd then may as well close it, just to draw a line under things as it is much less likely for HMRC to start an investigation once closed than before, unless they suspect serious tax fraud that will move the liability onto the director(s) rather than a company with no assets to seize once closed. Look forward to the day the 'D' appears on Companies House alongside the Ltd and that should be the end of that.

Blanket determinations are likely to incur a closer look from HMRC if they are deemed outside rather than inside, as the cynical/realist view is HMRC will ignore such naughty practices (with perhaps a finger wave in the press) if they are set to benefit in tax revenue.