HMRC arrears

If are having problems paying your debt to HMRC it is important that you contact them as soon as possible. They will probably try to help and whatever else you need to make them aware of possible problems with payment. If you don't, they will look less favourably on you in the future. So if you owe money to HMRC...

• Contact them immediately to discuss it with them
• Look for a time to pay arrangement
• Make sure you understand your current financial situation so you know what you can pay and when
• Your future tax and other debts will still come due, so take these into account

If you feel that a longer payment may be required, you may need to look at a Company Voluntary Arrangement (CVA). Click here for a more comprehensive look at dealing with HMRC debt.

In short, HMRC has a range of actions they can take from chasing through to winding up a business. They will usually give you fair warning and they are quite understanding if you are having problems, but in the end, they will try to collect in any way within their power. They could:

• Pass your debt to a collection agency
• Take control of your assets
• Take funds directly from your bank
• Ask the court to enforce the debt and send a bailiff
• Petition to wind up the company

As you can see it is really important to deal with any debt to HMRC as they can take some quite serious actions if you don't. Click here for full guidance on the actions HMRC can take if you owe them money.