HMRC Regulatory Update: From May 2026, conveyancers filing SDLT returns must register as tax advisers.
Accurate. Indemnified. Compliant.
All Three, Together.
SDLT Check combines calculation accuracy with full indemnity and the audit trail regulators expect—so practices can meet compliance requirements with confidence.
Accuracy With a Guarantee
Many SDLT tools claim accuracy. The difference with SDLT Check:
"Accurate calculations"
"We think it's right, but if it's wrong, that's your problem"
"HMRC compliant"
"We follow the same rules everyone follows"
"Professional grade"
"It looks professional, but there's no protection"
"Trusted by firms"
"Some people use it and haven't complained yet"
When tools get it wrong: Industry data suggests around 40% of SDLT returns contain errors. Where a calculation is wrong, the practice can face PI excess, premium increases, and reputational impact. SDLT Check backs its calculations with indemnity—so the financial risk sits with us.
SDLT Check is different.
We don't just claim accuracy—we guarantee it with £5M of our own money. If our calculation is ever wrong, we cover your firm's costs. Not your PI insurance.
The Three Pillars of Protection
How accuracy, indemnity, and compliance work together
ACCURACY
We get it right
INDEMNITY
If we're wrong, we cover your costs
COMPLIANCE
Proof you did it right
YOUR COMPLETE PROTECTION
Accuracy without indemnity = Empty promise
Indemnity without accuracy = Expensive safety net you'll actually need
Compliance without either = Just paperwork
All three together = Confidence and compliance
Pillar 1: 100% Accuracy Guarantee
How we ensure every calculation is correct
The Accuracy Challenge
SDLT isn't simple maths. It's 49 different reliefs, constantly changing rules, edge cases that even HMRC struggles to clarify, and the ever-present knowledge that your client's accountant will review your work six months later.
Outdated rates
Wrong figure from day one
Missing reliefs
Client overpays, then discovers it
Edge case errors
The complex transactions fail
Black-box logic
Can't verify or defend the result
No maintenance
Works until the next Finance Act
SDLT Check addresses every failure mode.
Our Accuracy Methodology
Built by experts:
- • Core engine developed by tax specialists
- • 50+ years combined SDLT experience on the team
- • Every calculation logic peer-reviewed by independent specialists
Validated extensively:
- • Tested against 50,000+ historical SDLT returns
- • Validated against every published HMRC worked example
- • Edge-case tested against tribunal and court decisions
- • Stress-tested with adversarial scenarios designed to break it
Maintained continuously:
- • Finance Act changes: updated within 24 hours
- • HMRC guidance changes: updated within 48 hours
- • Budget announcements: updated same day
- • Tribunal decisions: analysed and incorporated
Transparent always:
- • Every calculation shows full methodology
- • Every step cites legislative authority
- • Every relief decision is explained
- • Nothing hidden, nothing assumed
Pillar 2: Full Indemnity Coverage
When we say "guaranteed"—we back it with £5 million
The Indemnity Difference
Most tools give you a number and wish you luck. If that number is wrong, you face:
PI excess
£3,000-£10,000 out of your pocket
Defence costs
£15,000-£40,000 in legal fees
Premium increases
20-50% for the next 3-5 years
HMRC penalties
Interest and surcharges
Reputation damage
The thing no insurance covers
With SDLT Check, none of that is your problem.
Our £5M professional indemnity means if our calculation were ever wrong, we would cover your firm's costs up to policy limits. Your PI insurance is not affected, and the claim would not sit on your practice's record.
What's Covered
- ✓ Your PI excess
We cover it if our calculation caused the claim
- ✓ HMRC penalties and interest
Covered in full
- ✓ Legal defence costs
The £15,000-£40,000 that really hurts
- ✓ Client's tax shortfall
We make your client whole
- ✓ Premium increase contribution
We cover the knock-on costs
- ✓ Regulatory defence
If our error leads to SRA/CLC proceedings
What's Not Covered
We believe in clarity. Here's what our indemnity does NOT cover:
- ✗ User input errors
If you enter wrong data, that's not a calculation error
- ✗ Ignoring flagged warnings
If you proceed without expert review when flagged
- ✗ Deliberate misuse
Fraud isn't covered
- ✗ Advice beyond SDLT
We calculate SDLT, not wider tax advice
- ✗ Pre-existing errors
We can't indemnify past work
The Maths That Makes It Obvious
Cost of one SDLT claim:
Cost of SDLT Check:
The ROI question: SDLT Check pays for itself if it prevents one claim every 6-24 years. Given that SDLT errors are the #1 source of PI claims in conveyancing, the question isn't whether it's worth it. It's whether you can afford not to have it.
Pillar 3: Audit Trail & Compliance
CQS Standard 1.2 compliance—built in, not bolted on
The Compliance Challenge
CQS Standard 1.2 requires:
"Firms must have an SDLT policy that includes: (a) an audit trail of SDLT calculation and advice; (b) checks between consideration in the contract, transfer deed, SDLT return and client account; (c) a procedure for verifying the SDLT amount payable."
What most firms do:
- • Scribbled file note: "SDLT calculated at £X"
- • Screenshot of HMRC calculator (sometimes)
- • Colleague initials something (maybe)
- • Hope the auditor doesn't ask too many questions
What auditors actually want:
- • Documented methodology showing HOW you calculated
- • Evidence of which reliefs were considered (not just applied)
- • Clear verification trail with timestamps
- • Defensible process that demonstrates professional diligence
SDLT Check generates exactly what auditors want—automatically, with every calculation.
When the CQS auditor asks about your SDLT process, you don't describe it. You show it.
See Sample Audit Trail →Ready for Complete Protection?
Accuracy, indemnity, and compliance—all three, together. Book a demo to see how it works for your practice.
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