Accountancy Capital places Private Client Tax Managers across the UK at £65,000 and above: CTA-qualified tax professionals who manage the tax affairs of high net worth individuals (HNWIs), internationally mobile and formerly non-domiciled individuals, family trusts, estates and family offices. Private client tax is a specialist discipline within the tax profession and quite distinct from corporate tax. Where the Corporate Tax Manager looks after the tax affairs of a company or group, the Private Client Tax Manager looks after a natural person and the family and trust structures through which that person’s wealth is held.
This page covers our Private Client Tax Manager recruitment service: what the role involves, how it differs from corporate tax, which qualifications and experience matter most, salary benchmarks, and the types of private client brief we handle. It sits within our wider tax recruitment practice, and for roles in the capital our London tax recruitment agency page covers the local market in more detail. Call 0204 553 8893 to discuss a role.
What the Private Client Tax Manager Does
Personal tax compliance and planning for HNWIs
The Private Client Tax Manager runs the annual personal tax compliance cycle for a portfolio of HNWI clients: the self-assessment return, capital gains tax computations, property income schedules, dividend and investment income, and overseas income and foreign tax credit claims. For clients with complex income (several directorships, substantial investment portfolios, rental property and overseas interests) return preparation needs real planning input: allowable deductions, the timing of income and disposals, and the CGT share matching rules that determine the most efficient way to dispose of investments. The manager reviews work prepared by Tax Seniors and Assistant Managers, deals with HMRC correspondence and enquiries, and keeps the client relationship.
Beyond compliance, the Private Client Tax Manager advises on planning opportunities: the Enterprise Investment Scheme and Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme for income tax relief and CGT deferral; Business Asset Disposal Relief for founders and shareholders approaching an exit; the use of spouse and civil partner allowances; pension contribution planning; and charitable giving. The work overlaps with personal tax manager recruitment, but private client roles usually carry wealthier clients, more trust and estate work and a heavier advisory load.
Non-domiciled and internationally mobile individuals
Non-dom taxation was a major part of private client work for many years, with non-domiciled individuals able to claim the remittance basis on overseas income and gains. From 6 April 2025 the government abolished the remittance basis and the concept of domicile for most UK tax purposes. In its place is a residence-based system, including a four-year foreign income and gains (FIG) regime for individuals who become UK resident after a long period of non-residence, together with transitional arrangements for people who previously used the remittance basis. HMRC’s policy paper on reforming the taxation of non-UK domiciled individuals sets out the framework.
For clients who historically claimed the remittance basis, the change creates a substantial planning exercise: identifying historic unremitted income and gains, considering the Temporary Repatriation Facility (which allows pre-April 2025 foreign income and gains to be designated or remitted at a reduced rate for a limited period), and reviewing offshore trust and investment structures. The detail is technical and still bedding in, so employers value candidates who have worked through it with real clients. The Private Client Tax Manager also needs a working knowledge of the revised overseas workday relief and of how the new rules interact with double tax treaties.
Trust and estate tax management
Trusts and estates are core client categories. In ongoing trust administration the work includes the annual trust tax return, the ten-year anniversary and exit charges on relevant property trusts, Trust Registration Service obligations and IHT reporting. In estate administration after a death it covers the IHT account, income tax and CGT during the administration period, and distributions to beneficiaries. HMRC’s guidance on trusts and taxes outlines the main regimes. A manager who handles trust and estate work develops IHT and trust technical depth that personal or corporate tax roles do not build, and many hold the STEP qualification alongside the CTA.
Inheritance tax planning
Inheritance tax planning is often the most commercially valued advisory service for HNWI clients, because inheritance tax at 40% on estates above the nil-rate band and residence nil-rate band creates liabilities that structured planning can reduce. The Private Client Tax Manager advises on Business Property Relief and Agricultural Property Relief; potentially exempt transfers and the seven-year clock with taper relief; deeds of variation after a death; Family Investment Company structures; and the use of discretionary trusts to pass wealth between generations. The 2025 reforms also moved IHT exposure for internationally mobile clients to a residence-based test, broadly bringing long-term UK residents into scope on worldwide assets. Recent changes to BPR and APR, and the planned inclusion of unused pension funds in estates, have added further advisory work, so candidates need to be current on the rules as they stand at the time of hire.
Private Client Tax Manager vs Corporate Tax Manager
| Dimension | Private Client Tax Manager | Corporate Tax Manager |
|---|---|---|
| Client base | HNWIs, internationally mobile individuals, families, trusts | Companies, corporate groups |
| Tax type | Income tax, CGT, IHT, FIG regime | Corporation tax, transfer pricing |
| Compliance | Personal tax returns, trust returns, IHT accounts | Corporation tax returns (CT600) |
| Planning work | IHT, BPR, FIG regime, EIS/SEIS | Loss utilisation, R&D relief, transfer pricing |
| Qualification depth | CTA (individuals; IHT, trusts and estates), often STEP | CTA (corporate papers), often ACA |
| Typical London salary | £65k–£100k | £65k–£100k |
Salaries at manager level are similar, but the candidate pools rarely cross over. A strong corporate tax manager cannot simply pick up a trust and estate portfolio, and the reverse is just as true. Our article on private client vs corporate tax hiring differences explains what that means for a brief, and for corporate roles see Senior Corporate Tax Manager recruitment.
Private Client Tax Manager: Salary Benchmarks
| Private client tax role | London salary | Regional salary |
|---|---|---|
| Private Client Tax Manager, HNWI portfolio | £65k–£85k | £55k–£72k |
| Senior Private Client Tax Manager, international / FIG focus | £78k–£100k | £66k–£85k |
| Head of Private Client Tax | £95k–£130k | £81k–£110k |
| Private Client Tax Partner (practice) | £130k–£250k+ | £110k–£210k+ |
| Interim Private Client Tax Manager | £400–£580/day | £340–£493/day |
Private Client Tax Managers with hands-on experience of the FIG regime and the transition from the remittance basis can command a premium, typically in the region of 12–18% over standard Private Client Tax Managers at equivalent seniority, reflecting the complexity of the April 2025 reforms. Ranges move with portfolio size and the mix of trust, estate and international work. See our in-house tax manager salary guide, the London accountancy salary guide and our page on interim tax day rates.
Brief a Private Client Tax Manager Search — 0204 553 8893
Accountancy Capital places Private Client Tax Managers at £65,000 and above, with HNWI, international, trust, estate and IHT planning experience assessed. We respond the same working day.
Where Accountancy Capital Places Private Client Tax Managers
We place Private Client Tax Managers across the UK in three employer categories:
- Large and mid-tier practice private client teams, where the manager runs a portfolio of HNWI, trust and family office clients within the firm’s private client service line.
- Specialist private client boutiques, including firms that advise only HNWI, international and family office clients, and the tax teams within trust and estate law practices.
- In-house family office and private office roles, where the manager is employed directly by a family office or principal to run their tax affairs in-house rather than through an external practice.
In-house family office roles are a growing share of the private client market, as families with sufficiently complex affairs choose dedicated in-house tax management over annual engagement of an external practice. These roles suit candidates who want depth with one family rather than breadth across a portfolio, and they often combine tax with wider financial oversight. Our guide to moving from practice tax to in-house covers the transition from the candidate’s side.
Where a family office needs short-term cover (a busy January deadline, a death in the family that triggers an estate administration, or a maternity leave) our interim tax professional recruitment service can typically present candidates within days. Permanent searches typically produce a shortlist within one to two weeks. Where a client also has international structures, our international tax manager recruitment team can help.
How we assess private client candidates
Our recruitment team assesses candidates against the specific mix in your portfolio rather than a generic tax profile. We ask which client types they have managed directly, the size of portfolio and team they have run, whether they have prepared IHT accounts and trust returns themselves, and how much of their time has gone on advisory rather than compliance work. For international briefs we test their practical exposure to the 2025 reforms. Our tax manager interview questions give hiring managers a framework for the technical interview.
Private Client Tax Manager: Non-Dom Reform and the FIG Regime
The April 2025 reform replaced the remittance basis with the FIG regime, creating a significant advisory workload for private client teams. In broad terms, the FIG regime gives individuals who become UK resident after at least ten consecutive tax years of non-residence the option of relief from UK tax on foreign income and gains for their first four years of residence. Clients moving off the former remittance basis face a specific planning exercise: reviewing historic unremitted income and gains, deciding whether to use the Temporary Repatriation Facility while it is available, and reviewing offshore structures in light of the changes to the treatment of trusts and the accompanying anti-avoidance rules.
The IHT side moved in parallel. Rather than depending on domicile, exposure to UK inheritance tax on worldwide assets now broadly turns on long-term UK residence, with transitional rules for existing trusts. Because the detailed rules are complex and continue to be refined, the safest course for employers is to test candidates on practical case experience rather than headline knowledge. A manager who has assessed the impact for individual clients, advised on Temporary Repatriation Facility decisions and reviewed offshore trusts after the reform has built a capability that remains in short supply. Detailed technical guidance is available from HMRC, and professional updates from the Chartered Institute of Taxation and STEP.
Private Client Tax Manager: FAQs
Is CTA qualification essential for Private Client Tax Manager roles?
For private client practice roles above Tax Senior level, the CTA is the industry standard, ideally with the advisory papers on the taxation of individuals and on inheritance tax, trusts and estates. Many private client specialists also hold the STEP Diploma. For in-house family office roles, CTA is strongly preferred, but the ATT combined with solid IHT and international experience is sometimes acceptable at the more junior manager level.
How active is the in-house private client market?
Growing steadily. Family offices and principals’ private offices are hiring more in-house tax specialists, particularly where the family has trusts, international interests or several generations to plan for.
Does the non-dom reform affect demand for Private Client Tax Managers?
Yes. The move from the remittance basis to the FIG regime, and of IHT to a residence-based test, created a large advisory project for every private client team with internationally mobile clients. Candidates who have handled that transition with real clients are among the most sought-after profiles in the market.
What is the difference between a personal tax manager and a private client tax manager?
The titles overlap. Personal tax roles tend to focus on self-assessment compliance for a broad client base; private client roles usually involve wealthier clients, trusts and estates, IHT planning and international issues. Our guide to the personal tax manager role, salary and hiring sets out the distinction.
How are fees agreed?
Fees are agreed in writing before a search starts. Call 0204 553 8893 or email recruitment@accountancycapital.co.uk. We work from London (167–169 Great Portland Street, London W1W 5PF) and the West Midlands (Watling Court, Orbital Plaza, Watling Street, Cannock WS11 0EL).
Adrian Lawrence FCA — Founder, Accountancy Capital
Fellow of the ICAEW | Chartered Accountant holding an ICAEW practising certificate | Part of FD Capital Group
Adrian holds a BSc from Queen Mary College, University of London, and is a former listed-company Finance Director. Private client tax combines HNWI compliance, trust and estate work, IHT planning and the post-2025 international rules, and that mix is not interchangeable with corporate tax experience; our recruitment team assesses each of those strands specifically against the client’s portfolio.
Related Pages and Resources
Tax Recruitment Hub
All the tax roles we recruit, practice and in-house.
For Candidates
For private client tax professionals.
Private Client Tax Manager Recruitment — 0204 553 8893
Accountancy Capital places Private Client Tax Managers at £65,000 and above, permanent, interim and fractional. HNWI, FIG regime, trust, estate and IHT experience assessed. We respond the same working day.