The 9.7% uplift to the National Living Wage from April 2023 should be welcome news for lower-paid workers, but could present problems if their employer simply cannot afford the increased cost of employing them. The…
The rise of mini umbrella company fraud
The rise of mini umbrella company fraud continues to concern HRMC which has recently updated its guidance for businesses that either place or use temporary labour. Mini umbrella companies can be used to abuse the…
Setting new taxpayer records
New data from HMRC reveals there are now over six million people paying higher or additional rate tax in the UK. In recent years, the end of June has been the time for HMRC to…
Planes, trains and automobiles – managing employees’ transport challenges
With strikes and cancellations affecting trains, the underground and flights, employers need to decide how they are going to treat employees who cannot get into work or are stuck overseas. Commuting Although inconvenient, there is…
Has a 60% income tax rate reappeared?
The high marginal tax rates created by phasing out the personal allowance are back in the news. ‘A million to pay 60% income tax within years,’ ran a recent headline in The Sunday Telegraph. The…
Off-payroll mistakes now penalised
The private sector off-payroll working rules have been in place since April 2021, but for the first 12 months businesses have benefitted from HMRC’s relaxed stance on penalties. HMRC will now, however, penalise mistakes made…
Sharp rise in higher rate taxpayer numbers…….
......and if that’s you, then advice is now more important than ever. There was once a time when paying tax at more than the basic rate made you a member of a somewhat select club.…
Can the child benefit charge be fixed?
A critical review of how the government taxes child benefits has raised a major question mark over HMRC’s approach to collecting payments. Child benefit tax, or the High-Income Child Benefit Charge (HICBC) to use its…
Keeping it in the family – tax saving salary strategies
An easy way to reduce a business’s tax bill – and also increase the amount of funds withdrawn from the business – is to put a family member on the payroll. Of course, the salary…
Sick pay rebate returns to help relieve pressure on businesses
The Statutory Sick Pay Rebate Scheme (SSPRS), which ended on 30 September 2021, was reintroduced from 21 December 2021, with employers able to make retrospective claims from mid-January. The scheme’s return is in response to…