Tax inspector
Tax inspectors make sure the correct amount of tax is paid and investigate cases of fraud.
Also known as: Senior tax professional
- Starter salary£30,000 a year
- Experienced£57,000 a year
- Typical hours38 to 40 a week
What you'll do
In your day-to-day duties you could:
- examine business accounts
- visit businesses to interview board directors, lawyers and accountants
- investigate suspected fraud
- offer specialist advice about tax
- negotiate settlements
- represent HMRC at appeals tribunals
- consider and apply tax law to cases
- lead a team of caseworkers and administrative staff
- manage relationships between HMRC and customers
Working environment
You could work at a client's business or in an office.
Skills and knowledge you'll need
You'll need:
- knowledge of economics and accounting
- patience and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations
- maths knowledge
- the ability to work on your own
- to be thorough and pay attention to detail
- analytical thinking skills
- legal knowledge of tax regulations
- customer service skills
- to be able to carry out basic tasks on a computer or hand-held device
How to become a tax inspector
You can get into this job through:
- applying directly
Direct application
You'll need to apply for a place on HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) Tax Specialist Programme and have one of the following:
- a degree in any subject, minimum second class
- an equivalent award like a professional accountancy qualification
Restrictions and requirements
You'll need to:
- meet the Civil Service nationality requirements
Guides for this industry
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Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0