News
Childcare Account chores25/04/2024 - More...
HMRC’s Childcare account can be used to claim free childcare (if eligible) or pay for Tax-Free Childcare. HMRC’s sign in page for the account states that in order ‘…to keep getting free childcare or Tax-Free Childcare, you must sign in every 3 months and confirm your details are up to date’. There are various eligibility rules that must
Do’s and don’ts for Standard Visitors to the UK
25/04/2024 - More...
There is useful guidance published on GOV.UK that explains the do’s and don’ts for Standard Visitors to the UK. Visitors to the UK who are classed as a ‘Standard Visitor’ are allowed in the UK for tourism, business, study (courses up to 6 months) and other permitted activities. Permitted activities include the following: for tourism,
Bikes for employees
25/04/2024 - More...
The Cycle to Work scheme allows employers to provide bicycles and cyclists’ safety equipment to employees as a tax-free benefit. The scheme must be offered to all employees and the bike must be used mainly for qualifying journeys i.e., between home and work. However, private use of the bike is also allowed. Where the scheme conditions are
Tax-free home sales
25/04/2024 - More...
In general, there is no Capital Gains Tax (CGT) liability created when a property used as the main family residence is sold. An investment property which has never been used as a home will not qualify. This relief from CGT is commonly known as private residence relief. Taxpayers are entitled to full relief from CGT when all of the
Transferring unused nil rate band for IHT
25/04/2024 - More...
The Inheritance Tax residence nil rate band (RNRB) is a transferable allowance for married couples and civil partners (per person) when their main residence is passed down to a direct descendent such as children or grandchildren after their death. The allowance increased to the present maximum level of £175,000 from 6 April 2020. The
Checking your National Insurance records
25/04/2024 - More...
There is an online service available on HMRC to check your National Insurance Contributions (NIC) record online. The service is available at https://www.gov.uk/check-national-insurance-record In order to use this service, you will need to have a Government Gateway account. If you do not have an account, you can apply to set one up
Tipping boost
24/04/2024 - More...
The government’s Tipping Act is a step closer to coming into force, as the Code of Practice is published and laid before Parliament. The new Code of Practice will protect the tips of more than 2 million workers giving them a fair share of the tips received by a company. Millions of UK workers are set to take home an estimated £200
Smart energy
24/04/2024 - More...
In a recent press release, the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero confirmed that consumers are set to benefit from cheaper and more convenient energy deals as part of new measures to create a smart, flexible electricity system to help save money on bills. They said: “New proposals set out in a recent consultation will
Payrolling employee expenses and benefits
18/04/2024 - More...
Employers can register on a voluntary basis (before the start of the tax year) to report and account for tax on certain benefits and expenses via the RTI system. This is known as payrolling and removes the requirement to complete a P11D for the selected benefits at the tax year end. Registration is now open to payroll your benefits from
Changes to Scottish Income Tax rates 2024-25
18/04/2024 - More...
A reminder of the changes to Scottish Income Tax rates for the 2024-25 tax year. It was announced as part of the Scottish Budget measures that a new tax band called the advanced rate band will apply a 45% tax rate on annual income between £75,000 and £125,140 and would come into effect from 6 April 2024. In addition, 1p was added to the
Taxable employment benefits from April 2026
18/04/2024 - More...
From April 2026, the government will mandate the reporting and paying of Income Tax and Class 1A National Insurance Contributions on benefits in kind via payroll software. This represents a significant change to the current system and should reduce the administrative requirements and simplify the tax system for both employers and
View and prove your immigration status
18/04/2024 - More...
A UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) account can be used by eligible users to view and prove their immigration status online. This may be required to provide proof of your status to employers or higher education providers. The service can also be used to update personal details or to check what rights you have in the UK, for example the
Post Transaction Valuation Checks
18/04/2024 - More...
A Post Transaction Valuation Check (PTVC) can be requested from HMRC for an individual to work out a capital gains tax liability or for companies to calculate corporation tax liability on chargeable gains. The request for a PTVC should be made using the CG34 form. HMRC’s guidance says the form must be completed and sent to the address on
Class 4 NICs who is liable?
18/04/2024 - More...
Most self-employed people are required to pay Class 4 National Insurance contributions (NICs) if their profits are £12,570 or more a year. Class 4 NIC rates for the tax year 2024-25 are 6% (2023-24: 9%) for chargeable profits between £12,570 and £50,270 plus 2% on any profits over £50,270. A number of categories of people are exempt
Tax Diary May/June 2024
18/04/2024 - More...
1 May 2024 - Due date for corporation tax due for the year ended 30 July 2023. 19 May 2024 - PAYE and NIC deductions due for month ended 5 May 2024. (If you pay your tax electronically the due date is 22 May 2024). 19 May 2024 - Filing deadline for the CIS300 monthly return for the month ended 5 May 2024. 19 May 2024 - CIS tax
COVID Bounce Back abuse
16/04/2024 - More...
The Insolvency Service has recently published information confirming that a total of 831 company directors were banned in 2023-24 for Covid support scheme abuse, up more than 80% on the previous year, and that the average length of director disqualification for Covid misconduct in 2023-24 was almost 10 years. The Covid Bounce Back Loan
Settling energy disputes
16/04/2024 - More...
Business owners that are in dispute with their energy suppliers will be interested in the free support on offer from the Energy Ombudsman. In a recent press release the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero confirmed the following: “Businesses will get free support to resolve issues with their energy contracts, as part of
Accessing the HMRC mobile APP
11/04/2024 - More...
HMRC’s free tax app is available to download from the App Store for iOS and from the Google Play Store for Android. The latest version of the app includes updated functionality. The app can be used to see: your tax code and National Insurance number; your income and benefits; your income from work in the previous 5 years; how much
Using the starter PAYE checklist
11/04/2024 - More...
Employers that take on a new employee need to work out which tax code and starter declaration to use in their payroll software. Incorrect tax codes can lead to a new employee paying more tax than is due. Employers will require certain information from their new employee in order to ensure that the correct tax code and starter declaration
HMRC continues to target till fraud
11/04/2024 - More...
HMRC has, for many years, looked to target businesses that deliberately undertake electronic sales suppression (ESS). ESS happens where a business deliberately manipulates its electronic sales records in order to hide or reduce the value of individual transactions. This type of fraud is hard to spot as it tries to reduce the recorded
Termination payment clearance process
11/04/2024 - More...
The tax treatment of termination payments has changed significantly over recent years. The changes have aligned the rules for tax and secondary National Insurance contributions (employer (NICs)) by making an employer liable to pay NICs on termination payments they make to their employees. HMRC has announced that it is aligning its
VAT retail schemes
11/04/2024 - More...
VAT retail schemes are a special set of schemes used by retail businesses to account for VAT. The schemes are used by businesses that sell a significant amount of low value and/or small quantity items to the public with different VAT liabilities. The use of the schemes can save businesses a significant amount of time in calculating the
Paying VAT on goods from EU to Northern Ireland
11/04/2024 - More...
There are special procedures for moving goods in and out of Northern Ireland. Under the Northern Ireland Protocol, all Northern Ireland businesses continue to have access to the whole UK market. There is specific guidance published by HMRC that should be followed for goods that are received into Northern Ireland from a supplier in the
New employment protections
09/04/2024 - More...
New legislation, including three Government backed cross party Acts, came into force from 6 April 2024. Pregnant women and new parents will now receive special treatment in a redundancy situation, as a suite of new laws are introduced - delivering the Government’s plan to support families and back hardworking Brits. New laws will
