tax on divorce advisor

About Thomas Consulting

Sofia founded Thomas Consulting to offer accessible, expert tax services to assist family law firms in providing their clients with tax advice and support. She is one of the leading UK experts on tax on divorce and family breakdown.  Sofia also works closely with a number of tax charities and is a committee member of the Tax Technical Steering Group which advises on public tax policy and Women in Tax.

Specialist tax advice on family breakdown and divorce

Sofia trained and qualified in personal tax at PwC before going onto work at Citibank. She holds qualifications with the UKs premier tax institution, The Chartered Institute of Taxation.  She brings all this experience and much more to all of her work and is best placed to provide tax advice on any range of personal tax issues that may arise during a divorce. From one party being under HMRC investigation to capital gains tax positions on multiple property holdings Sofia can provide quick, effective and clear advice.

Thomas Consulting was established to provide specialist tax consulting services to family law firms. At Thomas Consulting we understand the multifaceted regulatory environment in which law firms operate and we aim to provide straightforward advice on complicated UK tax issues. Relationship breakdown can lead to a myriad of tax implications, including capital gains tax and stamp duty land tax.

We aim to place to ourselves discretely by your or your clients side to offer either one off or ongoing support during the process.  We are a boutique specialist firm, meaning that we can act quickly and have a strong underlying knowledge of your world and what it is you need from us.

As Featured:

Single Joint Expert

“a SJE should be used ‘wherever possible’. Not ‘ideally’ or ‘generally’ but ‘wherever possible’”
—  Justice Mostyn in J v J.

Sofia’s hourly rate is £350 + VAT, our current turnaround time is 5 to 10 working days. Examples of SJE we have been instructed on in the past year include:

  • Investment property/rollover relief on sale or transfer of properties
  • Capital gains tax implication on selling or transferring the main home
  • Tax implications of a Mesher Order versus a Deferred Charge
  • Tax implications of distributing a property portfolio

Expert Instruction

Sofia can be instructed as an expert to work with just one party, either through the solicitors firm or working directly with the client and providing complete transparency to ensure the solicitor or barrister can also rely on the advice given.

Sofia’s hourly rate is £350 + VAT, our current turnaround time is 5 to 10 working days although this work usually requires a longer engagement to assist in implementing the advice. Examples of expert instructions we have been instructed on in the past year include:

  • Review of pension sharing order, lifetime allowance breach
  • Tax implications of offshore assets and income
  • Analysis of complex earnings structures
  • Availability and preservation of Entrepreneur’s Relief
  • Transfer of assets in Schedule 1 separation
  • Tax Implications of a ToLATA claim
  • UK tax implications of US trusts

A trusted tax partner to Top 500 law firms

Family Law in PartnershipStoweGoodman Ray
Sofia Thomas - Tax Specialist
tax implications on divorce and family breakdown

Tax Implications on Family Breakdown

Co-written by a leading tax expert, Sofia Thomas and top family lawyer, James Pirrie, Tax Implications on Family Breakdown provides answers to the common problems encountered in financial remedy cases, in a way that will assist professionals from each discipline.

Family law practitioners will find a grounding in tax to help them to spot issues that arise upon family breakdown or financial remedies proceedings, whilst tax practitioners will gain the knowledge needed on tax implications in family separation to maintain an in-house practice in this area. In addition, it enables these practitioners to engage successfully to ensure that all necessary information is available to the court, or within alternative dispute resolution processes.

Flow charts, checklists and step-by-step chapters breakdown complex information, and precedent material is included to engage the ‘Part 25’ expert with maximum safety and efficiency.


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Frequently Asked Questions

Do you do mediation work?

Yes, Sofia can sit in on mediations to assist with any tax queries which may arise during the day. Depending on the length and complexities of the discussions Sofia can either attend a full day or part of the day.  For those clients with simpler tax issues, Sofia can also attend via conference call.

During the mediation Sofia will be able to advise on potential tax implications to provide accurate and up to date figures for a range of taxes.  In our experience this has proved extremely valuable as it has enabled the negotiations to continue with consideration of the tax implications.  These sessions are not appropriate for in-detail complex tax planning but they are incredibly useful for individuals who are considering several options on the day.

As part of mediation services, Sofia will provide a complete follow-up report  detailing all of the tax advice given during the meeting. These are completed usually within 3 working days of the mediation.

Costs for mediation work start at £350 + VAT per hour or a full day from £2,000 + VAT (plus travel costs if outside of London).

Does Sofia provide in-house tax expertise?

Yes, alongside attending your office for client meetings, training and talks, Sofia also runs all day tax surgeries in-house. Tax surgeries are proving increasingly popular with our firms. They run as follows, Sofia will attend your offices from 8am – 6pm, all staff members can book a time with Sofia to discuss cases, areas they find difficult or even personal tax queries.  During lunch Sofia will run a lunch and learn on all the current hot tax topics for Family lawyers.

After the day Sofia will follow up on all appointments with a 1-2 page report on what was discussed or advised. These days cost £2,500 + VAT (and travel costs if outside London).

If you would like to book a tax surgery or a lunch and learn session for your offices please contact camille@sofiathomas.co.uk.

Do you cover the whole of the UK?

Yes, though we are a London based firm, we cover Scotland, England, Wales and Northern Ireland and the Channel Islands.

Who can rely on the advice?

Our engagement letters can stipulate that our clients’ solicitors and barristers can rely on our advice given.

Can you liaise with HMRC directly for a client?

Yes, we are able to appoint ourselves as the authorised agent for the client meaning we can speak with HMRC about the clients’ specific tax affairs.  Once registered as their agent all post sent to the client will also be duplicated and sent to us.

Do you hold your own Insurance?

Yes, at Thomas Consulting we are fully insured and with each client engagement we highlight the relevant liability cap for the engagement. We are also regulated by the Chartered Institute of Taxation.

The way Sofia provides advice on the most complex of tax scenarios is a breath of fresh air. It was detailed and comprehensive but she was willing to act collaboratively with the parties to provide options and scenarios that suited them and completely understands matters from a separation perspective and the dynamics that go with that. She was very responsive and easy to work with.

Kate Hamilton, Partner, Russell - Cooke

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