HMRC Enquiries & AI-Assisted Replies
The HMRC Enquiries module provides a structured workspace for managing all inbound HMRC correspondence received on behalf of your clients. It combines document ingestion, AI-powered draft response generation, and a human-approval gate before any reply is finalised.
Mandatory Disclaimer: All AI-generated draft replies are clearly labelled as drafts. No response generated by Complyax should be submitted to HMRC, signed, or shared with a client until it has been reviewed, edited where necessary, and approved by a qualified accountant or authorised partner. The platform embeds this disclaimer automatically into all downloaded documents.
Only users with the Admin or Accountant role can access this module. Client Contacts are restricted from viewing HMRC enquiry cases.
Module Overview
The HMRC Enquiries page is divided into:
- KPI Cards — Real-time summary of all active cases, pending approvals, and upcoming deadlines.
- Case List — A filterable sidebar showing all logged notices by client.
- Case Workspace — The main working area showing the extracted notice text, AI draft reply, and action buttons.
- Upload Modal — For logging new HMRC notices.
KPI Dashboard
| KPI | Description |
|---|---|
| Active Notices | Total HMRC enquiry cases currently logged in the workspace, across all clients. |
| Awaiting Approval | Cases where the AI draft reply is ready but has not yet been approved by an Admin. |
| Due in 7 Days | Cases with a statutory or practical response deadline within the next 7 calendar days. Requires immediate attention. |
| Approved Replies | Cases where the response has been signed off and is ready to send to HMRC. |
Supported Notice Types
When uploading a new HMRC notice, you must select the appropriate notice type. The AI will tailor its draft response, legal citations, and adviser checklist based on this classification:
| Notice Type | Statutory Reference |
|---|---|
| HMRC Enquiry Letter | Section 9A Taxes Management Act 1970 |
| VAT Assessment Notice | Section 73 Value Added Tax Act 1994 |
| HMRC Penalty Notice | Schedule 24 Finance Act 2007 |
| Self Assessment Query | General SA enquiry |
| Corporation Tax Enquiry | General CT enquiry |
| PAYE Underpayment Notice | General PAYE enquiry |
Step-by-Step: Processing a New HMRC Notice
Upload the Notice
Click Upload HMRC notice in the top-right corner. The upload modal appears with the following fields:
Notice Type Select the classification that matches the inbound document (see table above).
Client Profile Select the client the notice relates to from the client selector.
Notice Document Upload the notice as a PDF file or .txt file. Alternatively, paste the extracted notice text directly into the Notice Text Content textarea (useful if you have already extracted the text via OCR or copy-paste from a digital PDF).
Click Process notice and draft reply. The system will:
- Extract the text content from the PDF (or use the pasted text).
- Pass the extracted text, client context, and notice type to the AI drafting engine.
- Generate a full draft response, including legal citations, an adviser checklist, and a header warning section.
Review the Extracted Notice Content
Once processing is complete, open the notice from the Case List sidebar. The Case Workspace displays an amber panel showing the Extracted Notice Content — the raw text Complyax parsed from your document.
Review this extracted text carefully. If the extraction is incomplete or incorrectly formatted, note this before approving the draft.
Review the AI Draft Reply
The main editor shows the AI Draft Reply in a rich Markdown editor.
The reply is structured in three parts:
- HEADER_WARNING — An AI-generated section flagging any unusual risk factors, missing information, or points requiring urgent attention from the adviser.
- Letter Body — The draft response letter, written as a formal reply to HMRC, citing the relevant legislation and presenting the client’s position.
- ADVISER_CHECKLIST — A structured post-drafting checklist for the adviser, listing verification steps specific to the notice type.
Edit and Refine the Draft
Direct Editing The letter body, header warning, and adviser checklist are all editable directly in the rich text editor. You may amend the draft as needed.
AI Refinement Use the Ask AI to rewrite input at the bottom of the workspace to provide revision instructions, for example:
- “Make the tone more assertive and cite Schedule 24 paragraph 3”
- “Add a section addressing the specific penalty amount of £2,400”
- “Rewrite the opening paragraph to acknowledge the error but minimise exposure”
Click Rewrite and the AI will update the draft while preserving the document structure.
Save the Draft
Click Save Draft to persist your edits (including any manual changes or AI revisions) to the database. This does not change the approval status.
Approve the Reply (Admin Only)
Only users with the Admin role can approve a notice reply. Click Approve Draft to mark the notice as approved. Once approved, the badge changes to “Approved Draft” and the approve button becomes disabled.
Accountant-role users cannot approve notice replies. The Approve Draft button will be disabled for non-Admin users.
Download the Reply
Once the draft has been reviewed and approved:
- Download Reply (Word) — Downloads a
.docxformatted document including the mandatory AI disclaimer, the notice type heading, and the letter body. Suitable for partner sign-off and printing. - Download Reply (PDF) — Opens a formatted, print-optimised HTML page in a new tab and triggers the browser’s print/save-as-PDF function.
Both downloads embed the full disclaimer:
“AI-GENERATED DRAFT — MANDATORY CA REVIEW REQUIRED BEFORE SUBMISSION. This document must be reviewed by a qualified CA or tax professional before use.”
Case List Filtering
The Case List sidebar supports filtering by Client using the client selector. All notices for the selected client are displayed. Click any notice to open it in the Case Workspace.
Each notice in the list shows:
- Notice type (formatted without underscores)
- Current status:
pendingorapproved - Country of jurisdiction
Status Lifecycle
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| pending | Notice has been uploaded and the AI draft is ready. Awaiting accountant review and Admin approval. |
| approved | Reply has been reviewed, edited if necessary, and approved by an Admin. Ready to send to HMRC. |
Compliance Considerations
- All notice uploads, edits, approvals, and downloads are recorded in the Audit Log for compliance purposes.
- The AI cites legislation based on the selected notice type. The adviser must independently verify that cited sections apply to the specific facts of the client’s case.
- The Adviser Checklist is guidance only and does not constitute legal advice.
- HMRC imposes statutory response deadlines. The Due in 7 Days KPI is intended to surface time-critical cases, but practitioners are responsible for monitoring all relevant deadlines independently.