Compliance
Compliance Tracker: HMRC’s New Measures to Close the Tax Gap and What Taxpayers Must Do
To support funding for public services, HMRC is implementing sweeping compliance and debt-management reforms. Individuals and businesses need to understand the new obligations and deadlines to stay compliant under Spring Statement 2025.
By NomadicTax Research Team • 5-8 min read • November 24, 2025
## What HMRC is doing to close the tax gap
HMRC aims to bring in **£7.5 billion extra** per year by 2029-30 through new compliance, debt recovery and enforcement measures. ([gov.uk](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/spring-statement-2025-document/spring-statement-2025-html?utm_source=openai)) As of 2023-24, the tax gap—unpaid tax vs theoretical liabilities—is estimated at **5.3%**, amounting to broad £46.8 billion. ([gov.uk](https://www.gov.uk/government/news/tax-gap-estimated-at-53?utm_source=openai))
Key reforms include:
- **Hiring over 600 new debt-management caseworkers** from 6 April 2026, to deal with aged and overdue tax debts. ([gov.uk](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/supporting-documents-for-spring-statement-2025/spring-statement-2025-policy-costings?utm_source=openai))
- **Recruitment of 500 compliance staff** to expand enforcement operations starting April 2025. ([gov.uk](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/supporting-documents-for-spring-statement-2025/spring-statement-2025-policy-costings?utm_source=openai))
- **Making Tax Digital (MTD)** expansion: from April 2028, sole traders and landlords with trading or property income over £20,000 will be required to use software-based accounts for Self Assessment. ([gov.uk](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/summary-of-tax-update-spring-2025-simplification-administration-and-reform/tax-update-spring-2025-simplification-administration-and-reform-summary?utm_source=openai))
- **Stiffer late payment penalties**: effective from 6 April 2025, VAT and ITSA taxpayers will face 3% of outstanding tax overdue by 15 days, another 3% at 30 days, and **10% per annum** on amounts past 31 days. ([gov.uk](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/spring-statement-2025-document/spring-statement-2025-html?utm_source=openai))
- **Higher late payment interest rates** across various unpaid liabilities (tax, duty, corporation tax instalments), increased by **1.5 percentage points** from 6 April 2025. ([gov.uk](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/changing-the-late-payment-interest-rate-for-unpaid-tax/changing-late-payment-interest-rates-on-unpaid-tax-liabilities?utm_source=openai))
## What you must do as a taxpayer or business
- Raise cash-flow buffers: with stiffer penalties and interest, even small late payments can become costly.
- Invest in compliant accounting software well ahead of MTD expansion deadlines.
- Review internal controls to ensure deadlines are met—VAT, Self Assessment, corporation tax instalments—no missed dates.
- For affected entities, ensure accurate forecasts of tax liabilities and plan for timely payment to avoid interest/penalties.
- Maintain thorough documentation of overseas income/gains, asset base values (especially for non-dom & CGT rules), and remittances.
## Missteps to avoid
- Underestimating how quickly penalties/interest accumulate after due dates.
- Failing to anticipate being caught under MTD requirements if your income crosses thresholds—for sole traders or landlords, if gross trading or property income rises above £20,000, you’ll need MTD software by April 2028.
- Relying on old non-dom or remittance basis planning without updated professional advice.
## Example scenario
> *John & Emma, landlords* own several rental properties. Their gross rental income exceeds £20,000, so they’ll need to move to full MTD reporting by 6 April 2028. If they miss this, late penalties begin. If they pay any property-derived income late, interest charges will be steeper. So, they decide now to invest in MTD-certified software and plan their distributions of foreign income to ensure any remittances are taxed properly.
## Conclusion
Compliance is getting more stringent in the UK. With the government expanding enforcement staff, upping penalties, and making digital real-time reporting inevitable, taxpayers and businesses can no longer afford laxity. But with proactive planning and modern tools, you can stay ahead—reduce risk, stay compliant, and manage costs effectively.