Payroll & PAYE Misguidance
Payroll and PAYE are fundamental responsibilities for any employer, and most businesses rely on their accountants to manage them correctly.
When accountants give poor advice or make mistakes in this area, the consequences can be severe — leading to HMRC penalties, staff dissatisfaction, and potential legal exposure.
How Payroll & PAYE Misguidance Happens
Payroll and PAYE rules can be complex, but accountants are expected to get them right. Common errors we see include:
- Incorrectly calculating PAYE and National Insurance contributions.
- Failing to register as an employer when staff are hired.
- Misclassifying employees as self-employed contractors.
- Giving poor advice on benefits, expenses, and P11D reporting.
- Missing RTI (Real Time Information) submission deadlines.
These mistakes often go unnoticed until HMRC carries out a compliance review, by which point the employer is facing large liabilities.
What’s at Risk When accountants mishandle payroll and PAYE, the risks to your business are significant:
- Backdated PAYE and NIC liabilities, sometimes covering years of errors.
- Penalties and interest for late or incorrect submissions.
- Employee dissatisfaction, if staff are underpaid, overtaxed, or provided incorrect payslips.
- Reputational damage, particularly if HMRC suspects deliberate wrongdoing.
- Cashflow strain, especially if HMRC demands immediate repayment.
Many businesses discover these problems only after trusting their accountant for years.
How We Help
At Tax Investigation Helpline, we specialise in helping clients resolve problems caused by payroll and PAYE misguidance. We provide:
- Independent review: We assess your payroll records and identify mistakes caused by your accountant.
- HMRC representation: We take over all communications, protecting you from further stress.
- Correction of records: We ensure your payroll is compliant and properly structured moving forward.
- Negotiation: Where liabilities exist, we work to minimise penalties and arrange affordable payment solutions. >Accountability: Where your accountant’s negligence caused the problem, we help you take action against them.
Our focus is always on defending your business and reducing financial damage.
Common Issues We See Some of the most frequent problems linked to bad payroll and PAYE advice include:
- Accountants failing to advise businesses to register as employers.
- Employees wrongly treated as contractors, exposing companies to PAYE liabilities.
- Missed RTI submissions leading to automatic penalties.
- Poor advice on staff benefits, resulting in incorrect P11D filings.
- Inaccurate payroll calculations affecting staff take-home pay.
These errors can lead to HMRC scrutiny and strained relationships with employees.
Don’t Let Bad Advice Undermine Your Business If your accountant has let you down on payroll or PAYE, the impact can feel overwhelming. You may face unexpected HMRC demands and pressure from employees — all caused by someone else’s mistakes.
At Tax Investigation Helpline, we’ve helped many businesses recover from payroll and PAYE misguidance. We know how to correct records, reduce penalties, and pursue negligent accountants where necessary.
Contact Us Today
If HMRC has contacted you about payroll or PAYE issues, or if you suspect your accountant has misadvised you, call Tax Investigation Helpline today. We’ll defend your position, protect your business, and hold your accountant accountable. Don’t let poor advice put your business at risk.
