Specialist tax support for accountants and accountancy practices

Every accountant meets the moment when a client's question outgrows routine compliance. It might be a group reorganisation before a sale, a multi-generation inheritance tax plan, or an HMRC enquiry on a point of principle. You can refer it elsewhere and risk losing the relationship, or you can bring in specialist support and stay in control. ASWATAX exists for the second option.

Why accountants work with us

Tax law has become wider and faster-moving than any one practice can cover. In the last few years alone we have seen new rules on business relief, a new foreign income and gains regime, a merged R&D scheme and changes to employee ownership trusts. Few practices can keep a specialist for each area, and most should not try.

Working with ASWATAX lets you:

• Say yes to complex work. You can take on larger, more interesting clients, knowing technical backup is available.
• Protect the relationship. The client stays yours. We are the specialist you brought in.
• Manage risk. A second pair of technical eyes on a high-value structure is good practice.
• Move quickly. We reply the same working day, so your client is not left waiting.
• Avoid fixed cost. There is no need to hire or retain specialists for work that arrives in bursts.

What we do not do

We do not take over your compliance work. We do not prepare routine accounts and returns, and we are not building a practice that competes with yours. After we advise, the compliance work flows back to you, with a clear note of how the tax treatment should be reflected.

Where we help most

Restructuring and holding companies

Group structures are the most common reason accountants call us. We design holding company structures, share exchanges and reorganisations, apply for HMRC clearance, and help you implement. We have set up 100+ holding companies and restructured £250m+ of businesses, in groups up to £50m. See Corporate Restructuring and Holding Company.

HMRC clearances

Advance clearance gives your client comfort that HMRC accepts the transaction is not part of arrangements with a main purpose of avoiding tax. Applications need careful drafting. We have obtained 100% of the clearances we have applied for, across 50+ applications. For a primer, see our article on Form 17.

Inheritance tax and Family Investment Companies

Business owners and landlords often have estates well above the nil-rate bands. We help with lifetime planning, trusts, business relief and Family Investment Companies. See Inheritance Tax Planning.

Transactions

Buying, selling and management buy-outs all carry tax decisions that shape the net proceeds. We work with you and the client's lawyers to structure the deal. See Transaction Tax.

International and HMRC enquiries

Clients arriving in or leaving the UK, or holding assets abroad, bring residence and domicile-adjacent questions. And when HMRC opens an enquiry we can step in on the technical points. See International Tax and HMRC Enquiries.

Three ways to work together

We agree the model, ownership of the advice and who speaks to whom in writing before starting.

How a typical engagement runs

1. You call or email. A short outline of the client, the question and the deadline is enough.
2. We scope it with you. The first call is free. We tell you what is involved and agree the approach.
3. We analyse. A Chartered Tax Adviser reviews the facts and tests the options.
4. We report. You receive clear advice with the reasoning, the risks and the recommended route.
5. We implement with you. We prepare any applications or documents, and hand compliance back to your practice.

Common mistakes we help practices avoid

• Moving too fast on a restructure. Transferring shares or assets before clearance and a full tax review can lock in a charge that planning would have avoided. A share exchange must also pass the stricter main purpose test introduced by Finance Act 2026.
• Looking only at the company. A structure can suit the company and still leave the shareholders with a gain or an inheritance tax problem.
• Treating inheritance tax as a later problem. With the nil-rate band frozen at £325,000 until 5 April 2031 and changes to business relief and pensions, estates are growing into charge.
• Answering HMRC without a strategy. The first reply in an enquiry sets the tone. A short technical review before responding is rarely wasted.
• Missing claims and deadlines. Many reliefs must be claimed by a deadline, and incorporation relief now has to be claimed, rather than applying automatically, for transfers on or after 6 April 2026.

Questions to ask yourself before you call

Is the question a one-off, or will it keep coming up? Is the client likely to need a written opinion? Is there a deadline, such as a completion date or an HMRC response time? Would you be comfortable if the result were reviewed by HMRC? If the answer to the last question is not an immediate yes, bring us in early.

Why ASWATAX

Advice is led personally by Omar Aswat, a Chartered Tax Adviser, so you deal with the person doing the work. We are commercially minded, we explain the tax in plain English, and we have advised 300+ clients across 15+ years. We are rated 5.0 on Google from 31 reviews. You can read more on our approach and see the overview for professional intermediaries.

Talk to us

If you have a client with a complex question, or want to put a relationship in place for the future, book a free first call or contact us. We will tell you honestly whether and how we can help.