Exactly when to make contact with HMRC?
A few days ago I received a statement from HMRC detailing unpaid income tax (a five-figure sum).
This was the first communication I had received about, it though I knew there was a bill coming at some stage. I have one small potential quibble with the amount but substantively don't dispute it.
I plan to engage a professional to talk to HMRC on my behalf as I believe it is possible to settle this through a combination of a lump sum (maybe about 40% of the total) and a time-to-pay arrangement.
I imagine I can have someone lined up to act on my behalf next week, and we can maybe get a proposal over to HMRC before the end of the month.
My specific questions are:
- Should I get in touch with HMRC myself first, just to let them know I am getting a professional adviser? Or should I leave it to the pro to make the first contact?
- If I do get in touch with HMRC, should I mention the lump-sum-plus-time-to-pay idea? Or is it better to leave it vague?
- In terms of buying breathing space and goodwill, is there any value in making a smaller lump sum payment (say 10%) now, before I have the adviser on board?
Thanks for any advice.