ECH6045 - Liaison - Employer Support Teams – When to make a referral


When referral to Employer Support Team

Referral to the EST will be appropriate where during the course of a compliance check


  • a technical issue arises and guidance
  • is not readily accessible in existing internal publications
  • cannot be supplied within the team

The nature of referral may vary dependant upon the experience of individual teams.

Mandatory referrals should be made to the EST where


  • an informal or ESI Status opinion has been disputed (although there may well have been earlier contact with the Status Inspector or Status Support Officer) ( ECH11030)
  • the customer disputes the liability on a technical Employment Income issue which is likely to result in formal assessment.

All referrals must be sent to the EST with the completed template authorised by the team leader (normally SO or above).

All referrals sent to the EST for advice remain the responsibility of the team sending the case who must


  • keep the customer informed of progress
  • keep the case registered on their official recording system.