HMRC Audits & Customs Record Keeping Requirements
Online Workshop
Be audit-ready. Strengthen compliance. Protect your business.
HMRC audits can place significant pressure on businesses if customs records, procedures and supporting evidence are incomplete, inconsistent or difficult to retrieve. As customs compliance becomes more data-led and enforcement continues to tighten, businesses need stronger internal controls and clearer record keeping processes.
This practical workshop is designed to help businesses prepare for import and export audits from HMRC and apply best-practice approaches to customs compliance. It covers key responsibilities, internal review methods, common compliance failures, process checking, record keeping, VAT and commodity code risks, duty-free claims, customs authorisations, origin evidence, suppliers’ declarations, disclosures and pre-audit checks.
This course provides practical guidance to help businesses review their customs processes, improve record keeping and prepare more confidently for HMRC scrutiny.
You will learn:
Your Responsibilities and Internal Review
- Your responsibilities in relation to customs compliance
- How to start an internal review
- How to assess whether current procedures are fit for purpose
- How to identify weaknesses before HMRC do
Common Compliance Fails and Process Checking
- Top 10 compliance fails
- Using checklists, process flows and guidelines
- Checking your process
- Building more consistent internal controls
Record Keeping and Supporting Evidence
- The importance of record keeping
- What records need to support customs declarations
- How to improve traceability and retention
- How stronger records support audit readiness
High-Risk Areas in Customs Compliance
- VAT, commodity codes and duty-free claims — what can go wrong
- Customs authorisations, origin and evidencing export
- Suppliers’ Declarations
- Areas most likely to attract HMRC attention
Audit Readiness and Managing Disclosures
- Pre-audit checks
- Managing disclosures
- How to prepare for HMRC questions
- How to respond more confidently to audit activity
Why This Course Matters
Poor record keeping is one of the fastest ways to turn a routine review into a costly compliance problem.
Getting it wrong can result in:
- HMRC challenges and deeper scrutiny
- Delays in resolving customs queries
- Financial penalties and corrective action
- Weak evidence for duty relief, origin or export claims
As audit activity becomes more detailed, businesses need processes that are not only compliant, but also clear and defensible.
This course will help you:
- Identify weaknesses before they become audit issues
- Improve record keeping and process control
- Strengthen confidence in declarations and supporting evidence
- Reduce exposure to penalties, disruption and rework
- Prepare more effectively for HMRC reviews
Who Should Attend?
This course is suitable for professionals involved in customs compliance and record keeping, including:
- Export and import administrators
- Customs and compliance teams
- Shipping and logistics staff
- Finance teams involved in customs and VAT processes
- Import/export managers and supervisors
- Anyone responsible for checking customs procedures or maintaining audit evidence
Build stronger evidence, better processes and greater readiness for customs scrutiny. Secure your place.
Event Details
Venue: Videoconference via Zoom
Date: 15 October 2026
Time: from 9.30am to 12.30pm
Cost: Discounted fee £392 +VAT* | Full price £412 +VAT
*Discounted prices are available exclusively to Chamber members with the International Bundle subscription.
Click here to enquire about membership.
Click here to see our booking terms and conditions.
Refund Policy - Refunds up to 7 days before the event. Eventbrite's 5% processing fee is non-refundable.
