Built on input from 627 tax leaders and qualified professionals across Technology, Manufacturing, Retail, Consumer, Hospitality, Real Estate & Construction, Energy and Private Equity, the guide provides an in-depth view of the forces shaping hiring, retention and career decision-making across the profession. The tax market has shifted. What was once a technical back-office discipline is becoming a strategic partner to the business. 59% of organisations now place tax alongside finance and transformation teams. 75% of professionals say their role has become more commercial. 53% are involved in strategy and decision-making. But the infrastructure supporting this transformation hasn't kept pace. 73% of organisations remain in early-stage digitalisation or reliant on manual processes. 72% cite data quality as the primary barrier to automation. And only 3% say they're making good progress on AI and automation adoption. The gap between expectation and capability continues to widen. The talent picture is equally challenging. 61% of organisations struggle to find candidates with tax technology and automation knowledge — not as a nice-to-have, but as the primary gap. Meanwhile, 79% of movement is driven by better flexibility or pay elsewhere, and a quarter of professionals would leave their current role over compensation alone. Retention is now a bigger challenge than recruitment for many organisations. The skills that will define success have changed. 91% say commercial thinking and the ability to influence strategy will be the differentiator over the next five years. Communication and business partnering follow at 59%. Technical tax depth — critical as it remains — now sits third at 53%. The guide also includes detailed UK in-house tax salary benchmarks covering corporate tax, indirect tax, transfer pricing and employment taxes, with permanent salary ranges, bonus expectations and equivalent day rates across FTSE 100, FTSE 250 and privately owned organisations. Contents at a Glance:
How the tax function is evolving — from compliance to strategic partner
The operational reality: where teams are stuck and what's blocking progress
Why AI and automation adoption remains stalled for 97% of organisations
The talent crisis: which skills can't be found and what's driving the shortage
How roles have fundamentally changed and what defines success going forward
The forces shaping in-house tax teams — ranked by 627 professionals
Why people leave — and what it takes to keep them
Market outlook: job market sentiment and the biggest shifts in the profession
Investment priorities for 2026: where the money is going
Strategic recommendations for tax leaders, individuals and organisations
Comprehensive UK salary data across all major tax disciplines
