How can I practise dealing with HMRC correspondence?

The most realistic way to build this is through Hey Monika's VAT Challenge and Accounting Environment Challenge, alongside the Lighthouse Wellness Practice Scenario — a sole trader wellbeing practice in Bristol whose owner, Celena, is resistant to Making Tax Digital and has to be talked round mid-conversation. You're not filling in a worksheet; you're working with real invoices, statements and client correspondence through the document vault, covering reading an HMRC letter properly, working out what it actually requires, and responding within the deadline it sets, and getting Monika's feedback on what you'd do differently before a real employer ever asks you to do it unsupervised. More detail Start with VAT Challenge to isolate the core technical skill before adding a client relationship on top of it. Move into the Lighthouse Wellness Practice Scenario, where the same skill shows up inside real documents and client correspondence rather than as a standalone exercise. Read Monika's feedback properly and redo anything she flags — repetition with correction is what actually builds the skill, not a single pass. Once that's comfortable, layer in Accounting Environment Challenge to round out the related skills an employer would expect alongside it.Frequently asked questions Do I need any experience before trying the Lighthouse Wellness Practice Scenario? No. Hey Monika's Scenarios and Challenge Mode tasks are built so a complete beginner can start straight away — Monika's feedback is there precisely because you're not expected to already know the answer. How long does this usually take to feel comfortable with? Most trainees need two or three attempts at the same Scenario or Challenge before it stops feeling unfamiliar. The value is in repeating it with Monika's feedback applied each time, not in getting it right first go. Is this the same as just reading about HMRC correspondence in a textbook? No — the difference is that you're handling real documents, a real (if fictional) client, and in some Scenarios a live voice call, rather than reading a description of how the process works in theory. Get started Open VAT Challenge today and follow it straight into the Lighthouse Wellness Practice Scenario — doing both back to back, rather than weeks apart, is what makes the skill stick.