Extension of Making Tax Digital for VAT

Extension of Making Tax Digital for VAT

Extension of Making Tax Digital for VAT Making Tax Digital (MTD) for VAT is currently only compulsory for VAT-registered businesses whose turnover for VAT is above the VAT registration limit of £85,000. However, this is set to change from April 2022. Extension to all...
National Insurance increases and the Health and Social Care Levy

National Insurance increases and the Health and Social Care Levy

On 8 September 2021, the Prime Minister outlined the Government’s plans for health and social care, including a new funding strategy designed to meet social care costs. A new tax, the Health and Social Care Levy, is to be introduced from 2023. However, as a temporary...
End of the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS)

End of the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS)

The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) came to an end on 30 September 2021. The scheme has provided financial help to employers and employees during the COVID-19 pandemic, allowing employers to claim grants with which to pay furloughed and flexibly furloughed...
Plan ahead for increases in the dividend tax rates

Plan ahead for increases in the dividend tax rates

As part of the Government’s funding strategy for health and social care, the dividend tax rates are to be increased from April 2022, alongside the temporary increases in National Insurance, and, from April 2023, the introduction of the Health and Social Care Levy. The...
Reclaiming SSP for periods of self-isolation

Reclaiming SSP for periods of self-isolation

The recent ‘pingdemic’ has resulted in large numbers of employees self-isolating. Where an employee meets the qualifying conditions, you must pay them SSP while they are self-isolating. As qualifying periods of self-isolation count as a Coronavirus-absence, if you are...
Hospitality VAT Rate Increase

Hospitality VAT Rate Increase

Hospitality Industry VAT Rate Increase – 1st October 2021 In July 2020, the VAT rate for the tourism and hospitality sector was temporarily reduced to 5%, from 20%. The businesses that were able to take advantage of the reduced rate include; Hotels Restaurants Hot...

What is a UTR?

Unique Taxpayers Reference A UTR is your Unique Taxpayers Reference Number, is what identifies you personally with HMRC. It’s 10 digits in length and is quoted on any correspondence you receive from HMRC, including: Your tax return A Welcome to Self-Assessment letter...
Accessing the Government Gateway

Accessing the Government Gateway

From 15 June 2021, all businesses and organisations will need multi-factor authentication in order to sign into the Government Gateway. Multi-factor authentication Businesses and organisations that use HMRC’s online services and which do not currently receive an...
Voluntary Class 2 NICs where 2019/20 tax return filed after 31 January 2021

Voluntary Class 2 NICs where 2019/20 tax return filed after 31 January 2021

If you are self-employed, you will pay Class 2 and Class 4 National Insurance contributions if your profits exceed the relevant thresholds. Class 2 National Insurance contributions are the mechanism by which you build up qualifying years to earn entitlement to the...
Paying CJRS grants back

Paying CJRS grants back

As the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) enters its final months, now is the time to review grants that you have claimed under the scheme, and pay back any amounts claimed in error. You may also choose to repay voluntarily funding that you have received under...
Taxation of company cars in 2021/22

Taxation of company cars in 2021/22

Taxation of company cars What is taxation of company cars? If you are an employee with a company car, you will be taxed on the benefit derived from the car being available for your private use. If you are an employer who makes company cars available to your employees,...
Recovery loan scheme

Recovery loan scheme

Recovery loan scheme If you need to access finance to help your business recover from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Recovery Loan Scheme may be for you. Nature of the scheme The Recovery Loan Scheme is designed to provide access to finance in order to...
Extended carry-back for losses

Extended carry-back for losses

To help businesses which have suffered losses as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the period for which certain trading losses can be carried back is extended from one year to three years. The extended carry-back period applies for both income tax and corporation tax...
How long do you need to keep your records for?

How long do you need to keep your records for?

Business records if you’re self-employed You must keep your records for at least 5 years after the 31 January submission deadline of the relevant tax year. HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) may check your records to make sure you’re paying the right amount of tax....
Family companies and the optimal salary for 2021/22

Family companies and the optimal salary for 2021/22

If you run your business as a personal or family company, you will need to decide how best to extract profits for your personal use. A typical tax-efficient strategy is to pay yourself a small salary and then extract any further profits as dividends. Where this...
Garden Office At Home

Garden Office At Home

As more people are now working from home, the desire for a designated workspace has become a priority for many. The past year has forced many workers to fill up the dining table and any other flat surface available with monitors, computers, laptops, cables, Wi-Fi...
Thresholds and allowances frozen until April 2026

Thresholds and allowances frozen until April 2026

Thresholds and allowances frozen! To help meet some of the costs of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Chancellor has opted to freeze various allowances and thresholds until April 2026, rather than increase the rates of income tax and capital gains tax. As incomes rise over...
Gift Aid warning

Gift Aid warning

If you are a taxpayer and you make a Gift Aid declaration when making a donation to a charity, the charity can reclaim basic rate tax on your donation. Tax relief on the donation A donation made under Gift Aid is treated as being made net of the basic rate of tax,...
Corporation Tax Increase

Corporation Tax Increase

Corporation tax increase from April 2023 The main rate of corporation tax is due to increase to 25% for the financial year 2023, starting on 1 April 2023. However, companies with profits of £50,000 or less will continue to pay corporation tax at the current rate of...
Checking your tax code – 2021/2022

Checking your tax code – 2021/2022

Checking your tax code – 2021/2022 If you pay all or some of your income tax via PAYE, it’s important to check that you are on the correct Tax Code (CT). As we start the new 2021/2022 tax year, HMRC will be sending out your individual coding notices (usually via...
Super-Deduction

Super-Deduction

New capital allowances super-deduction Companies thank incur corporation tax can invest in new plant and machinery in the two years from 1 April 2021 are able to benefit from two new first-year allowances, including a super-deduction of 130%. Details of the measure...
More time to pay your tax bills

More time to pay your tax bills

: :More time to pay your tax bills In his Winter Economy Plan, the Chancellor, Rishi Sunak, unveiled measures which will allow self-assessment taxpayers and VAT-registered businesses more time to pay back deferred tax. New Payment Plan for VAT At the start of the...