HMRC launches 13,000 investigations into covid claim abuse

HMRC has launched almost 13,000 investigations into suspected abuses of the government’s coronavirus financial support schemes, including the furlough scheme and the Self-employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS). If you are worried that your business will be caught up in these investigations, you can rest easy – JW Hinks can offer you all the protection you need.

A freedom of information request revealed that HMRC had opened 12,828 investigations into alleged cases of fraud by the end of March this year. 7,384 of these claims were made to Covid-19 support schemes, with 5,020 investigations launched into SEISS claims.

A spokesperson for HMRC commented on the matter, saying:

“It is vital we support businesses to recover by ensuring a level playing field, so the majority are not undercut by the few who tried to cheat the system. We are taking tough action to tackle fraudulent behaviour. We have now opened more than 12,000 inquiries into claimants we suspect may have kept more than they were entitled to. We have also begun a handful of criminal investigations.”

JW Hinks’s Tax Investigation Service is the ideal way to protect yourself from the cost of an investigation. To learn more about our Tax Investigation Service, you can contact Trevor Fleming directly at TIS@jwhinks.co.uk 

If you would like to learn more about the support options still available to businesses in the UK as the economy reopens, and ensure that you remain on the right side of HMRC, the government, the law, and the regulators, you can contact JW Hinks on 0121 456 0190. Our friendly team of experts have all the knowledge required to keep your business running smoothly and safely.