How and when to hire your first in-house tax professional
As tax legislation becomes increasingly complex and public scrutiny intensifies, many financial directors (FDs) and CFOs are asking:
“What are the benefits of hiring an in-house tax professional?”
The answer goes beyond compliance. A dedicated tax expert can unlock strategic value, reduce risk, and support long-term business growth. At Brewer Morris, we regularly advise organisations across commerce and industry on this very topic – and we’ve recently published a guide to help businesses make informed decisions when hiring their first in-house tax professional.
This article introduces some of the key considerations from that guide, including the challenges of outsourcing, the benefits of hiring in-house, and how to know when the time is right.
Challenges of outsourcing tax functions
While outsourcing tax compliance can seem like a flexible solution, it often comes with hidden costs and limitations:
- High costs: Fees for external advisers can quickly exceed the cost of a full-time hire—especially as complexity increases.
- Lack of commercial insight: External advisers may not fully understand your business’s commercial context, leading to advice that’s technically sound but not always practical.
- Time-consuming oversight: Managing outsourced relationships still demands significant time from FDs and CFOs—time that could be better spent on strategic priorities.
Key benefits of hiring in-house
Bringing tax expertise in-house offers a range of strategic and operational advantages:
- Greater control: An in-house professional ensures tighter oversight of tax affairs and risk management.
- Improved efficiency: They can streamline internal processes and enhance existing systems and controls.
- Stronger HMRC relationships: Consistent, proactive engagement builds trust and credibility with tax authorities.
- Strategic input: A commercially minded tax adviser can contribute to business planning and decision-making.
- Continuity and buy-in: Having a dedicated expert fosters alignment with senior leadership and long-term business goals.
“A good quality tax adviser can bring continuity and generate buy-in from the senior management of a business.”
When is the right time to hire?
There’s no one-size-fits-all answer, but certain triggers suggest it’s time to consider hiring your first in-house tax professional:
- Rising costs of outsourcing
- Increased HMRC scrutiny or risk rating
- More frequent tax audits
- High effective tax rate (ETR)
- Regulatory requirements (e.g. publishing a tax strategy or appointing a senior accounting officer)
How Brewer Morris can help you make your first tax hire
Brewer Morris has been working with businesses for 30 years and as such as we have seen a variety of organisations build their first tax function.
If you are looking for a new tax hire, please submit a brief and a member of our team will be in touch. Alternatively, if you are looking for a senior tax opportunity, check out our latest tax opportunities.