Furlough Fraud and settling with HMRC under Code of Practice 9

Here at Lindsay Henson Ltd we know all about Code of Practice 9 (or COP 9), and how immensely stressful and worrying this is for anyone receiving a letter from HMRC stating that they suspect you have committed serious tax fraud. But believe it or not, it could be worse. You could be facing a criminal prosecution and as an alternative to that, the COP9 process incorporates their contractual disclosure facility (CDF) which gives you the opportunity to disclose all of your deliberate conduct which has resulted in Tax irregularities, discrepancies or omissions and if you follow the procedure, with the help of a specialist advisor, you can avoid a criminal prosecution.

If you have received such a letter, call us immediately and we will answer all your questions without obligation.

Since Covid HMRC have invested millions in training a specialised taskforce to investigate potential fraudulent furlough claims, who will first analyse information in their possession to decide whether claims made are genuine or fraudulent. Sometimes they will contact employers directly and request more business records but we now know that the claimants are being offered the chance to settle their liabilities through the COP9 process. So do not see this as necessarily a negative, it can be a positive, providing a monetary settlement and anonymity and without the fear of a criminal prosecution.

COP9 letters can be issued to anybody who is either directly or indirectly involved in the business and the making of the furlough claims and that can be managers, directors as well as shareholders. 

We know that furlough fraud can be settled under this process, so if this should be offered to you contact us to talk about the pros and cons.

Telephone Andy on 07879 464577 or Lindsay on 07584 706664