Join to apply for the Legal Interpretation VAT Specialist role at HM Revenue & Customs.
Apply before 11:55 pm on Monday 17th November 2025.
Locations: Belfast, Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Croydon, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle Upon Tyne, Nottingham, Stratford.
Candidate Information Session: We will be holding a Candidate Information Session where you can hear what experience we are looking for this individual to bring to this role, along with giving you information about how to apply and what the next steps will be. We are holding information sessions about this role on Monday 10th November 2025 at 1pm. To register, please visit Candidate Information Session - Legal Interpretation VAT Specialist - Monday 10th November.
The Legal Interpretation VAT Specialist operates within HMRC's Customer Compliance Group, focusing on applying technical knowledge and skills to develop expertise in VAT matters whilst understanding potential tax risks across other duties.
This role involves working with moderate complexity risks, which includes consulting technical guidance, drafting customer responses, communicating with customers, and liaising with colleagues and Compliance Case Managers.
The postholder will build and maintain professional relationships that support compliance activity both internally and externally, sharing knowledge of emerging risks and supporting solutions to mitigate potential tax loss.
The specialist will learn and effectively apply HMRC guidance and tax legislation relevant to specific business areas, using this knowledge to inform judgement and decision making on investigations and customer education. Creative thinking is essential, looking at problems from fresh perspectives and suggesting new solutions for continuous improvement.
The role requires sharing knowledge and best practice across the team and directorate, providing coaching and mentoring to facilitate high-performing teams.
The postholder will interpret complex financial accounts and corresponding tax computations, explaining these to other caseworkers when required.
As a Higher Officer LI VAT Specialist, your job role will include:
* Supporting investigations into complex customer information, reviewing business tax affairs to ensure accurate and timely tax payments.
* Establishing facts and make fair, lawful, and impartial decisions by analysing and evaluating information to identify and mitigate tax risks.
* Exercising sound judgement and discretion, clearly communicating requirements to customers and providing targeted support where complexity, capability, or risk of non-compliance exists.
* Contributing actively to business and compliance objectives, working in line with Compliance Professional Standards to make paying the correct tax as straightforward as possible.
Person specification
You will:
* Build and maintain professional relationships supporting compliance activity internally and externally.
* Apply technical knowledge and skills, developing VAT expertise and understanding tax risks.
* Work moderate complexity risks including consulting guidance, drafting responses, and liaising with colleagues.
* Share knowledge of emerging risks and support solutions to mitigate tax loss.
* Learn and apply HMRC guidance and tax legislation to inform judgement and decision making.
* Share knowledge, best practice, and expertise with compliance colleagues.
* Make corporate contributions including participating in technical working groups.
* Develop own and colleagues' compliance expertise, keeping updated with legislative changes.
* Think creatively to suggest new solutions and ensure excellent customer service.
* Provide coaching and mentoring to facilitate high-performing teams.
* Interpret complex financial accounts and tax computations.
* Willingness to travel and stay overnight occasionally as part of the role.
* Recent demonstratable experience of working in a VAT specific role in a tax professional environment. (e.g. HMRC compliance officer role; An accountancy or other tax advisory practice; In industry in an in-house tax team.)
* Proven ability to interpret and apply tax legislation.
* Strong communication skills across a range of stakeholders.
* Demonstrated ability to analyse VAT-related data sets, identify patterns and discrepancies, and draw accurate, evidence-based conclusions to support compliance and strategic decision-making.
* Committed to maintaining up-to-date compliance knowledge through continuous professional development.
Qualifications
You should hold one of the following qualifications:
* External accredited VAT qualification, for example, VLTT, CTA, or AIIT, they should state this on their application.
* HMRC internal training, including Civil Compliance Foundation Learning (CCFL) VAT, VAT Routeway, VAT Foundation Training (2003-2004), Basic VAT Training (pre-2003), Business Driven Development Programme.
* The panel may consider significant relevant experience of tax at a sufficiently similar level of seniority to the role being advertised in place of the above qualification requirement and this will be considered and judged on its own merits.
What we offer
* We offer a generous leave allowance, starting at 25 days and increasing by a day for every year of qualifying service up to a maximum of 30 days.
* Pension - We make contributions to our colleagues’ Alpha pension equal to at least 28.97% of their salary.
* Family friendly policies.
* Personal support.
* Coaching and development.
Follow the link to apply via Civil Service Jobs and view full information.
Seniority level
Associate
Employment type
Full-time
Job function
Finance and Accounting/Auditing
Industries
Government Relations Services and Government Administration
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