Why You Shouldn’t Rely Solely on HMRC Forums for Tax Advice
When it comes to navigating tax, many individuals and business owners turn to online forums for quick answers—particularly the HMRC (His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs) Community Forums. While these forums can offer helpful discussions and shared experiences, it’s important to understand that not all the information you find there is accurate, complete, or up to date.
The HMRC Forums: What They Are (and Aren’t)
The HMRC Community Forums are publicly accessible platforms where users—both individuals and professionals—ask questions and share knowledge related to taxes, Self Assessment, VAT, PAYE, and more. Although the platform is hosted by HMRC, most responses come from other users, not official HMRC advisors. Occasionally, HMRC moderators will step in, but their responses are limited, and often they will simply refer users to official guidance elsewhere.
This creates a misconception: because it’s hosted on the HMRC domain, users might assume all content is government-endorsed. That’s not the case.
Common Pitfalls of Relying on Forums
- Outdated Advice: Tax laws change frequently. What was accurate a year ago might now be incorrect—especially when it comes to rates, thresholds, or allowable expenses. Forum posts aren’t usually updated to reflect these changes.
- Lack of Context: A piece of advice that works for one person may not apply to your specific situation. Tax is full of nuance, and general answers might not take into account your income sources, business structure, or residency status.
- Conflicting Opinions: It’s not uncommon to find users contradicting each other in the same thread. Without knowing who is correct, it becomes easy to follow the wrong advice.
- No Accountability: If you follow incorrect guidance from a forum and submit your tax return wrongly, you are still responsible. HMRC won’t accept “I read it on the forum” as a valid excuse.
- HMRC admin's are not necessarily tax experts in the areas in which they are responding. We have seen multiple cases of incorrect guidance being issued.
When to Use the Forums (and When Not To)
The HMRC forums are best used for:
- General discussion and user experiences.
- Pointers to official guidance (e.g. GOV.UK links).
- Quick community tips (e.g. “Where to find X on the form”).
But for more serious or specific matters—like complex tax queries, dispute resolutions, or interpretation of rules—it’s best to:
- Contact HMRC directly through their official helplines.
- Consult a qualified accountant or tax adviser.
- Refer to official GOV.UK resources or legislation.
HMRC forums giving U.S Tax Advice
HMRC is the United Kingdom's tax authority, responsible for managing UK taxes like Income Tax, Corporation Tax, VAT, and more. While HMRC provides useful forums and online resources for discussing UK tax issues, they are not suitable sources for US tax advice. Here's why:
- Incorrect or Irrelevant Advice
Even if an HMRC forum user is knowledgeable about UK tax, they are usually not qualified to give US tax guidance. Relying on advice meant for non-US citizens/greencard holders could lead you to:
- Underreport income
- Miss US -specific credits (like the Foreign Earned Income Exclusion)
- Fail to file necessary forms (like FBAR or FATCA disclosures)
Mistakes on US taxes can result in serious penalties, especially around international income and asset reporting.
- No U.S. Legal Protection or Reliability
HMRC forums are not official legal advice even for UK tax, let alone for US tax.
- Responses on the forum are often opinions or experiences of other taxpayers — not vetted, licensed professionals.
- In the US, tax advice must come from qualified practitioners like Enrolled Agents (EAs), Certified Public Accountants (CPAs), or tax attorneys.
- Cross-Border Tax Complexity
If you have income, assets, or business interests across the US and UK, your situation is especially complex. You may need to:
- Navigate the US-UK tax treaty
- Claim foreign tax credits properly
- File informational returns like Form 8938 (FATCA) or FBAR
An HMRC forum user is unlikely to understand these requirements fully, and even small mistakes in cross-border filings can cause big problems with the IRS.
The HMRC forums can be a useful starting point, but they are not a substitute for professional advice or official guidance. Always double-check what you read with authoritative sources—especially when making decisions that affect your finances or legal obligations. For anything involving US tax obligations, especially international or dual-residency issues, you should consult a US tax professional familiar with cross-border taxation, like Phinch 🙂
