How can I work for HMRC with a CTA qualification?

Have a look on the Civil Service Job Site and read the job specifications. Contact the Job Advertiser for further information letting them know of your experience and they will be more than happy to advise you on the application process and suitability. Plenty of help available in the links provided.

Hi Eleanor, HMRC jobs are advertised on civil service jobs. Looking at your qualifications, I would suggest to aim for at least Senior officer or a Grade 7 job. However, I also understand that there are more jobs advertised externally at HO or O level. In terms of application process, it is crucial to understand how to use success profiles especially behaviours and strengths. Civil Service success profile behaviours and strengths are available by a simple google search. Hope this helps.

From time to time HMRC advertises tax professional jobs externally to allow any person to apply. This often depends on the seniority of the advertised role. More junior roles are often advertised externally but for more senior roles this happens less often as they're typically filled by HMRC tax professionals.

For fraud roles specifically, HMRC last externally advertised senior fraud investigator roles at G7 grade in late 2021. For external applicants professional qualifications such as CTA were required to apply. When junior roles are advertised such professional qualifications aren't required to apply as you would complete a training programme as part of the role. For example, HMRC externally advertised criminal investigator roles in junior grades earlier this year which didn't require any professional qualifications.

HMRC will be accepting applications for its Tax Specialist Programme in October 2023 which is a 3-4 year intensive training programme where you would be posted to a G7 position upon completion and obtain a professional qualification which is recognised inside and outside of HMRC.

If you haven't done so already I would recommend signing up to Civil Service Jobs and setting job alerts for the type of role you are interested in which would be Tax/Investigation/Fraud and the grades you would be interested in applying for. This way, whenever a tax professional role in HMRC is advertised externally you would be notified via email.