High earners facing rise in tax investigations by HMRC

30 Jun 2025

A Freedom of Information (FOI) request has revealed that high earners in the UK are facing a significant rise in tax investigations by HMRC as a result of a record-breaking amount raised by compliance revenue.

The FOI request showed that HMRC’s wealthy and mid-sized business compliance directorate raised over £1.5 billion via tax investigations in 2024, which proved to be double 2023’s figure.

According to the request, HMRC has been utilising Artificial Intelligence (AI) and data analytics to identify tax avoidance and non-compliance. The wealthy and mid-sized business compliance directorate analyses individuals who earn more than £200,000 or who hold assets worth more than £2 million.

Tax investigations can be instigated upon discovering tax return anomalies or carrying out risk assessments.

Responding to the matter, a spokesperson for HMRC said: ‘It’s our duty to ensure everyone pays the right tax under the law, regardless of wealth or status. The government is delivering the most ambitious ever package to close the tax gap and bring in an extra £7.5 billion for public services per year by 2029 to 2030.’