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Thu, 14 May 2026

Thu, 14 May 2026 HMRC to use AI from British tech firm to spot fraud and tax return errors

Quantexa, a financial data platform, won the £175m contract to spot fraud and tax return errors.

* HMRC has signed a £175m deal with Quantexa to use AI-powered technology to improve performance.
* The 10-year deal aims to help HMRC identify and prevent tax fraud, as well as fix unintentional errors more quickly.
* Quantexa's systems will combine data collected by HMRC with external sources to achieve this.
* Public dissatisfaction with HMRC has increased in recent years, with over 93,000 complaints made about the department in 2024-2025.
* The new technology will help customer service staff and identify hidden networks of companies and individuals masking fraudulent activity.
* Quantexa's AI systems will not replace human decision-making, but rather support it, according to CEO Vishal Marria.
* HMRC data will remain secure, with separate staff working on the project.
* The deal is in line with the government's efforts to build "digital sovereignty" and reduce dependence on big tech companies.