Claims we handle
We act for individuals, company directors and businesses whose accountant or tax adviser failed to exercise reasonable skill and care.
- Incorrect tax advice leading to HMRC assessments, interest and penalties
- Failure to file returns or accounts on time, or at all
- Negligent advice on VAT, capital gains, IR35 or inheritance tax planning
- Tax avoidance schemes recommended without proper explanation of the risks
- Errors in company accounts or audit that misled directors, lenders or buyers
- Negligent valuations or due diligence in a business sale or acquisition
- Failure to spot or report fraud that a competent audit would have identified
What your losses might include
Recoverable loss is not limited to the fee you paid. Depending on the facts, a claim can cover the additional tax you would not otherwise have paid, HMRC penalties and interest, the cost of putting the position right, professional fees incurred dealing with the consequences, and lost profits or opportunities that flowed directly from the error.
We work with forensic accountants where the quantification is complex, so the figure presented to the other side is defensible rather than optimistic.
How the process works
After a free assessment we obtain your file, review the engagement terms and identify precisely where the standard of care was missed. We then prepare a Letter of Claim under the Professional Negligence Pre-Action Protocol setting out the breach, the causation chain and the loss.
The accountant's professional indemnity insurer normally takes over from that point. Many claims resolve through negotiation or mediation once the evidence is on the table.
Signs of accountant negligence
- An unexpected HMRC bill, penalty or investigation traced back to how your affairs were handled
- Deadlines missed without warning or explanation
- Advice that contradicts what another accountant later tells you was obvious
- A scheme sold to you as safe that HMRC has since challenged
- Accounts that turned out to misstate the position of a business you bought or sold