Accounts and tax advice for small businesses
From 6 April 2020 the off-payroll working rules that have applied since 6 April 2017 where the end client is a public sector body are to be extended to large and medium private sector organisations who engage workers providing their services through an intermediary, such as a personal service company. There are tax and National…
A landlord will usually take a deposit from a tenant when letting a property to cover the cost of any damage caused to the property by the tenant. Where a property is let on an assured shorthold tenancy, the tenants’ deposit must be placed in an official tenancy deposit scheme. The purpose of the deposit…
Individuals who donate to charity can do so tax-free. There are various ways of making tax-relieved gifts to charity – the way in which the relief works depends on whether the donation is made via Gift Aid, as a deduction from wages or a pension via the Payroll Giving Scheme, in a will or whether…
Within a family scenario, there are many situations in which one family member may make a gift to other family members. However, the way in which gifts are funded and made can make a significant difference to the way in which they are treated for inheritance tax purposes. Not all gifts are equal There is…
Employees with a company car are taxed – often quite heavily – for the privilege. The charge is on the benefit which the employee derives from being able to use their company car for private journeys. The amount charged to tax is a percentage of the ‘list price’ of the car – known as the…
Where a business receives an enquiry notification from HMRC, it does not always mean that something is wrong. Sometimes HMRC simply need some further information to ensure that a return is correct, for example, if the business recently received a lot of money, it would be reasonable for HMRC to ask where the funds came…
The payment of National Insurance contributions provides the mechanism by which an individual builds up their entitlement to the state pension and certain contributory benefits. Different classes of contribution provide different benefit entitlements. Employed earners pay Class 1 contributions where their earnings exceed the lower earnings limit – set at £118 per week (£512 per…
Private residence relief exempts any gain arising on the sale of the only or main residence from capital gains tax. Where the property has been occupied as the main residence throughout the period of ownership, the whole gain is exempt; if the property has only been occupied as a main residence for part of the…
If an employee is able to use a work’s van for private use, which generally includes home-to-work travel, there will be a taxable benefit and a subsequent tax charge. From 6 April 2019, the flat-rate van benefit charge has risen from £3,350 to £3,430, representing a small increase in real terms to a basic rate…
Where property is jointly-owned, the way in which the rental income can be split between the joint owners for tax purposes depends on whether the joint owners are married or in a civil partnership or not. Married couples and civil partners Where a property is jointly owned by a married couple or civil partners, the…