You’ve done nothing wrong. HMRC opens an enquiry. Who pays the accountant’s bill? 🤔

Posted on 24th October 2026 by Steven Burton

…… Without Tax Investigation Insurance, you normally do.

Dealing with an HMRC investigation can be both time-consuming and costly, even where a business has taken reasonable care and its tax affairs are fully compliant. Responding to HMRC enquiries often requires professional support to gather records, prepare explanations, correspond with HMRC and ensure the matter is dealt with efficiently. As a result, accountancy and specialist tax fees can quickly mount up, creating an unexpected financial burden for the business.

Many business owners assume that investigations only affect those who have made mistakes, but HMRC enquiries can arise for a variety of reasons, including routine compliance checks, industry-wide campaigns or discrepancies identified through automated systems. Understanding the potential costs and challenges involved is an important part of managing business risk.

We want to ensure you have the ability to mitigate this problem. Our solution is our Tax Investigation Insurance, which helps cover eligible professional costs, subject to the policy terms and conditions.

The best time to consider cover is BEFORE the enquiry starts.

If you don’t pay for this policy monthly ………. you might not be covered.

Get in touch with us to find out more here

The Steven Burton & Co team are here to help you. If you need a sounding board, some advice or a steer in the right direction, then please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

Finally ……

This material has been prepared for informational guidance purposes only. Whilst every effort has been made to ensure the contents are accurate, information contained may not be comprehensive. Furthermore, it is not intended to provide, and should not be relied on for, tax or accounting advice. Steven Burton & Co Limited can not accept any liability for any errors or omission or for any person acting on or refraining from acting on the information provided. Steven Burton & Co Limited are not financial advisors.

Steven Burton

Steven’s extensive experience means he can bring impact and positive outcomes to client businesses quickly. A Fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants, he’ll help you solve your complex problems in clear, approachable and profitable ways.

As a business owner himself, Steven is well-versed in the considerations and challenges of business ownership. This means that Steven can expertly support entrepreneurs in new, exciting ventures, as well as work with existing, established businesses to deliver ambitious growth plans.

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Joanne Moss

When your accountant becomes one of the most valuable people in your business, you know you've found the right one! David Rudd from Steven Burton & Co Ltd has been my Accountant for many years. He goes far beyond the traditional role of an accountant. Rather than offering generic advice, he takes the time to truly understand my business and provides guidance that's relevant, practical, and tailored to my situation. His input has been instrumental in helping my business grow and succeed. Thank you to David and his team for everything you do for Moss HR!

Sommer Green

Highly recommend, have been extremely helpful with both personal and ltd tax returns as well as helping company structures & much more. Very grateful to have found them!

Stacy Peterson

I would highly recommend Steven Burton & Co Ltd. David, Noah, Aidan and Ben were incredibly supportive and professional during a particularly challenging time for me. From the outset, they took the pressure off, guided me through every step of the process, and always made themselves available to answer questions and provide reassurance. Their dedication, expertise and genuine commitment to helping their clients really stood out. If you're looking for accountants who go the extra mile and truly care about achieving the best outcome for you, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend Steven Burton & Co Ltd.

Haley Duffin

Been with Steven burton for a few years now, always a great service and great staff members. This year has been the quickest and easiest tax return to date! Massive thank you to Henry!

Rachel Suff

Great company to work with, would highly recommend.

Systemastic

David and his team at Steven Burton & Co have become a pivotal part of my business. With a strong understanding of the sector in which we work, as well as our unique needs as a company; they have provided business advice at a level not found elsewhere. I have no doubt that this strategic support has contributed to our current success. A charming team I would not hesitate to recommend.

Mike Pountney

I had never filled out a tax return or needed an accountant until very recently. Steven Burton & Co have been absolutely brilliant, helping me all the way, asking relevant questions and helping me to complete the process. I have dealt with Steven, Henry and their wonderful ‘office staff’, all of whom have always replied promptly and professionally but keeping the correspondence light and, at times humorous. It’s always a difficult decision about whether an accountant is needed financially but I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this company and feel that they are worth their weight in gold, I certainly shall continue to use them.

Fantastic accountants and very helpful would recommend them to anyone!! Thank you seven Burton & co your diamonds.

Penny Hurrell

Steven and his team are extremely helpful, approachable and reliable. Would 100% highly recommend

Liz Owers

We have recently moved our accounting to Steven Burton & Co. We are so pleased that we did. With support from the team we have moved from a compliance based last minute approach to filing to a planned and proactively managed approach. The increased visibility and data this is providing is allowing us to make better informed and timed decisions for our business. Thank you and we look forward to building on this early work over the coming year.